Advertisers To Submit Self-Declarations For Their Advertisements

On May 7, 2024, the Hon'ble Supreme Court passed an order in the case of Indian Medical Association & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors.¹ requiring submission of self-declarations by advertisers/advertising agencies before the publication or broadcast of any advertisement ("Order"), for consumers to be able to make informed decisions about the quality of products that are offered to them for sale.

While the writ petition was filed before the Supreme Court against the misleading advertisements posted by Patanjali, the scope of the matter was subsequently broadened by the Supreme Court to include similar companies making misleading advertisements relating to their products.

Notably, the order directs that "No advertisements shall be permitted to be run on the relevant channels and/or in the print media/internet without uploading the self-declaration as directed above." The aforementioned self-declaration is required to be in accordance with Rule 7 of the Cable