Celebrity endorsements in India is a booming industry (Representative Image) | Photo Credit: BCCL

Mumbai: With the winter session of the parliament right around the corner, discussions over one particular bill are being heard from all spheres of society. It is the 2018 consumer protection bill which proposes penalty and even jail time for manufacturers and endorsers who are caught propogating false or misleading claims. With most Hindi film actors and actresses endorsing products ranging from fairness creams to investment schemes, activists fighting for consumer rights claim that this bill is likely to change the Indian advertisement industry for good.

As proposed in the bill, manufacturers or endorsers found propogating false or misleading claims about a particular product or service can face a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh. In addition, repeat offenders can be slapped with a fine of Rs 50 lakh and reprehensible manufacturers can even face prison time ranging from two to five years as per the guidelines imbibed in the bill.

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Reacting to the bill, advertisement veteran Prahlad Kakkar says that it is unfair to penalise celebrities for endorsing products and services which do not fulfill the promises made to the consumer. "These celebrities will have to hire someone to do the due dilligence", says Mr Kakkar adding that the endorser can still procure an indemnity certificate from the manufacturer which would ultimately grant them immunity from any false claims made to the consumer.

On the other side, consumer activist MS Kamath says that these celebrities influence a large part of the population and in a majority of cases, they are the reason people buy these products and services. It is therefore, unfair to not even ask them to faithfully stand by the products and services they so vehemently sell, he adds.

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