72 show cause notices to TV channels
29 Jul 2009
A total of 72 show cause notices have been issued to around 45 TV channels in the last three years for misleading and surrogate advertisements.
"Some instances of misleading and surrogate advertisements in the electronic media have been brought to the notice of the government," minister for information and broadcasting Ambika Soni informed Lok Sabha in a written reply.
In 2006-07 itself, there were 70 misleading and surrogate ads, for which 61 notices were sent in 2006-07 before the notification of 9 August 2006, disallowing brand extension of tobacco and liquor products subject to certain conditions. The matters were treated as closed after representations by the channels.
No notice was issued on advertisements in 2008-09 and one notice each were sent in 2007-08 and 2009-10. The 2009 case related to the airing of the Rajnigandha Pan Masala ad on India TV. The reply of the channel is under consideration, according to the reply laid in Parliament today.
A total of 160 notices have been issued to various television channels for violation of the Advertising Code out of the total 278 notices issued during the last three years.
Action has been taken in as many as 119 notices, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said, while replying to a discussion on obscenity and vulgarity in TV channels in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Parliament.
Eight notices have been issued by the Press Council of India in the last three years in the case of advertisements in the print media and most matters are still under consideration.