Three big Bollywood stars Ajay Devgan, Shahrukh Khan and Tiger Shroff are once again in the news regarding the advertisement of Gutkha and Cardamom company. The three actors have filed their reply in the matter of notice issued by Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, in this dispute, Ajay Devgan has taken a step forward and adopted the legal path. The actor has challenged the Maharashtra FDA notice in the Bombay High Court. After this incident, the controversy related to the advertisement of Gutkha and Cardamom company has now taken a legal turn.
Ajay Devgan approached Bombay High Court
Maharashtra FDA had issued a notice to Ajay Devgan for appearing in the advertisement of Gutkha and cardamom company. Now the actor has filed a petition against this notice in the Bombay High Court. In this way, along with answering the regulator’s questions, he has also chosen the path of challenging its notice in the court. However, detailed information on what grounds Ajay Devgan has challenged the FDA’s action in his petition and what relief he has sought from the court is yet to be revealed. Now the stand of the High Court will be important in this matter.
Shahrukh Khan and Tiger Shroff also filed reply
Maharashtra FDA had sent show cause notices to Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Devgan and Tiger Shroff for appearing in the advertisement. The regulator had asked the three actors why they became part of this advertisement and why action should not be taken against them under relevant food safety laws. Now the reply to the notice has been filed on behalf of the three artists. According to Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, two of these actors had also requested for a personal hearing. The process of his personal hearing has been completed. However, the detailed information about what arguments have been given in response to the three has not been revealed at the moment.
Why did the company’s advertisement come into controversy?
The root of this entire controversy is the advertisement of Gutkha and Cardamom company. Actually, the sale of the related Gutkha product is banned in Maharashtra. The FDA fears that the banned Gutkha product is being indirectly promoted through advertisements being run in the name of cardamom. This is being seen as surrogate advertising i.e. promoting the brand of a banned product in the name of another product. The regulator believes that such advertisements can maintain the brand identity of the banned product among consumers. For this reason, the FDA had sought answers from the three actors associated with the advertisement.
Questions raised under food security law
Maharashtra FDA has cited the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 in its action. These provisions relate to aspects such as liability for misleading advertisements of food products and publicity associated therewith. The regulator had also asked the actors to stop their participation in the campaign and remove promotional material related to it from their social media accounts.
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SK Sharma is a content writer who writes on news, entertainment, and lifestyle topics. She has over four years of experience and is known for conveying information in simple and clear language.
