The government yesterday said advertisements claiming “miraculous” or supernatural properties for products are prohibited under the existing advertising code for television channels, and action is taken against broadcasters found violating the rules.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha (Lower House), according to an official statement put out, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L. Murugan said all advertisements telecast on private satellite TV channels must comply with the Advertising Code prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the rules framed under it.

He said Rule 7(5) of the Advertising Code stipulates that advertisements should not contain references that may lead the public to infer that a product or any of its ingredients has special, miraculous or supernatural properties that are difficult to prove. Appropriate action is taken against private TV channels when violations of the code are detected, the minister said.

Murugan added that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also issues advisories from time to time to broadcasters to ensure compliance with the advertising rules.

The minister said the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), established under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, regulates issues relating to unfair trade practices, violation of consumer rights and misleading advertisements.

He further noted that the CCPA has issued the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, which lay down conditions for valid advertisements, prohibit surrogate advertising, and prescribe due diligence for endorsements.

These guidelines require that endorsements reflect genuine and reasonably current opinions based on adequate information about the product or service and must not be deceptive.

The information was provided in response to a question by Lok Sabha member Dr M K Vishnu Prasad.