Camouflaged Ad during Rajasthan polls: PCI issues show-cause notices

The Press Council of India (PCI) has apparently issued show-cause notices to several publication editors in the wake of an advertisement that was purportedly designed to mimic a newspaper headline during the Rajasthan assembly elections.
Published on November 20, the ad, positioned beneath the newspaper masthead, has been labeled by the PCI as a breach of the Norms and Journalistic Conduct, 2022, specifically concerning the state's 2023 assembly elections.

According to reports, the PCI, under the leadership of its Chairperson Justice (retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai, has taken spontaneous notice of the matter featured in the newspaper. The implicated publications are now anticipated to submit responses to the show-cause notices. Notably, PCI has not revealed specific details about the contentious advertisement published in the newspaper.