Celebrities such as Pierce Brosnan who endorse Indian brands could face heavy fines or bans if they make misleading claims about the products they represent.

Under the new proposals, Bollywood stars, cricketers and global celebrities will be required to independently verify the guarantees being made about products they are paid to promote.

“We want to tell the celebrities to think wisely before endorsing a product,” said Ram Vilas Paswan, India’s consumer affairs minister, when the measures were unveiled.

“If you make misleading claims willingly then you will be liable for punishment.”

Celebrities who breach the new rules will receive fines of up to 5 million rupees (£60,000) and a three-year ban on appearing in advertisements, with stiffer penalties for repeat offenders.

However, controversial plans to imprison culprits for up to five years were shelved this week for being excessively harsh.

The new measures raise the question of how far a celebrity who lends his or her name to a brand can be expected to investigate the quality or reliability of its products.

Brosnan courted controversy last month when he appeared in a series of James Bond-style adverts for an Indian chewing product that is linked to mouth cancer.