Supreme Court Directs Crackdown on Misleading Ads, Sets 2-Month Deadline

The Supreme Court, warning of misleading ads' harm, has given states two months to establish complaint redressal systems.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan issued several directions to curb such ads, stressing the need to protect the public.

The court urged state governments to create complaint mechanisms for ads banned under the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, 1954.

The law, over 70 years old, is poorly enforced, the court noted. It suggested complaints be allowed via toll-free numbers or email.

The court also ordered states to train police on enforcing the 1954 Act. Its registry must share the order with the National Legal Services Authority for awareness programmes.

The Centre must also create a dashboard to track action against misleading ads within three months.