Advisory Issued Regarding ‘Misleading Advertisement'- CCPA

The Central Consumer Protection Authority ("CCPA"), on January 20, 2021 has issued an advisory regarding misleading advertisements that has been introduced in the newly enacted Consumer Protection Act ('Act'), 2019. The sole purpose of the enforcement of the Act is to focus on matters concerning the rights of the consumers, not only in terms of pricing and/or quality but also in terms of the knowledge of the consumer about the product.

The CCPA has observed that numerous manufacturers/commercial establishments have been involved in the practice of misleading advertisements. As per the CCPA such players have released misleading advertisements through the medium of print and electronic media with the sole reason to promote and boost consumer products, claiming that 'it boosts immunity', 'kills 99.99% germ', virus killing', etc., without corroborating the same with any scientific credibility, taking an advantage of the unfortunate pandemic.