Centre Issues Notice To Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn For Endorsing Tobacco

The Central government has informed the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court to issue notices to Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn in regard to their involvement in advertisements for gutka companies.

Advocate Motilal Yadav filed a petition raising the issue concerning the alleged participation of the celebrities, especially the ‘Padma awardees’ for participating in advertisements or endorsements that promotes products which are harmful to the health, reports PTI.

The Hight Court instructed the government to address the petitioner’ concerns. There was no initial action taken, despite the representation made on October 22 which has led to the filing of a contempt petition.

During the court hearing, Deputy Solicitor General SB Pandey confirmed that show-cause notices had been sent to the three actors. The court also learned that a notice has been sent by Amitabh Bachchan to the gukta company for airing his advertisement despite terminating the contract.

The next hearing of the case is scheduled to be on May 9, 2024.

As per current Indian law, direct advertising of the gukta is prohibited due to its health risk. Thus, companies opts for alternative measures to promote gukta through surrogate advertising. In order to tackle these loopholes, authorities like the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) took action against pan masala companies for surrogate ads. The Allahabad High Court has also intervened, issuing notices for non-compliance with advertisement bans, particularly involving notable awardees.

The actors were promoting Vimal Elaichi, which falls under this category of mouth-fresheners. The company counter argued that their products are 100% tobacco free and it is not violation of the Cigarettes and Other Products Act (COTPA) to hire celebrities to endorse such products, reports livemint.