Bombay High Court dismissed plea against Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan in surrogate advertising case

The Bombay High Court has dismissed a petition that asked for the registration of criminal cases against Indian celebrities Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay kumar and Sunil Gavaskar for advertising tobacco and gutka products.

The petitioner had approached the court without doing proper research and the petition itself was improperly filed, said a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif S Doctor.

The court warned the petitioner Yash Foundation, an NGO and asked them to be careful in filing such a petition in the future, else be prepared to face consequences.

When asked by the court about the action taken by the petitioner for filing an FIR on surrogate advertising of tobacco products, the NGO responded that one advocate written to the state’s police and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to take necessary action.

"When we peruse the averments made in the PIL petition, what we find is that not even a single act amounting to offences as narrated in the letter is mentioned to have been committed by the private respondents. By impleading certain celebrities in different walks of life in the society, the petitioner appears to be seeking publicity instead of taking the issue with expected seriousness," said the court.

In its plea, the NGO said that it was the misfortune of the nation that such superstars whom the society idealises, are promoting such advertisements and allegedly jeopardising the health and wellbeing of people, especially the youth and children who view these celebrities in high regard.