Government issues notices to Bollywood actors over Gutka Ads

A notice has been issued by the Central Government to actors Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Devgan, and Akshay Kumar concerning their involvement in gutka campaign advertisements, as reported by PTI. This information was conveyed to the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court in response to a contempt petition. The Centre's counsel informed the High Court on December 8 that the Supreme Court had already addressed the same issue, urging the dismissal of the current petition. The bench scheduled further proceedings for May 9, 2024.

Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan had earlier directed the central government to address the petitioner's representation. The petitioner initially argued that action should be taken against dignitaries and actors featured in gutka campaign ads despite holding elite awards. Simultaneously, the petitioner contended that despite submitting a representation to the government on October 22, no action had been taken. The High Court also issued a notice to the Cabinet Secretary of the central government during the consideration of the contempt petition.

Deputy Solicitor General SB Pandey informed the High Court on December 8 that show cause notices had been issued to Shahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Ajay Devgan by the Centre. Additionally, the court was reminded that actor Amitabh Bachchan had sent a legal notice to a gutka brand for featuring him in an ad despite the termination of his contract with them. It was noted that although brands do not engage celebrities for gutka or pan masala ads, celebrities endorse products like elaichi pearls or similar items sold by the companies to bypass the ban on tobacco advertising.