India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has warned all government-permitted TV channels that they should desist from airing programmes and ads that encourage superstition or give misleading information as they breach the programming and advertising codes.

“It has come to the notice of this Ministry that some of the channels telecast programmes/advertisements, which encourage superstition and blind belief. Miraculous solutions of all problems are offered by self-proclaimed preachers in TV programmes/advertisements, which is a violation of Rule 6(1Xi) of the programme code and Rule 7(5) of the advertising code contained in the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994,” the ministry said in a circular issued on February 4, 2021.

MIB further pointed out that advisories in this regard have been issued  in the past too that “no programme can be transmitted/re-transmifted through cable service, which encourages superstition or blind belief”.

Similarly, ads that are likely to lead the public to infer that a product advertised or any of its ingredients have some “special or miraculous or super-natural property or quality”, which is difficult to prove, should also not be aired.