Water purifier equipment company Kent RO has withdrawn its allegedly misleading advertisements featuring Hema Malini, which claimed that its water purifier systems disinfected COVID-19 virus from daily personal use items and fruit and vegetables. Consumer rights organisation Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP) representative on the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Dr. Archana Sabnis, had lodged a complaint alleging that the ads made false and misleading claims. She demanded that Kent RO withdraw the ads from print and electronic media.
Following the complaint to the ASCI, it (ASCI) issued Kent RO a notice to substantiate its claims. Rather than substantiating the claims made in the advertisements, Kent RO withdrew the claims from the ads with effect from 30th October.
But that was not all. The MGP had also lodged a complaint against the ads with the newly formed Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA). It demanded that the CCPA impose a fine of Rs. 10 lakh each on the company and the celebrity endorser, Hema Malini. Under the new provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, celebrity endorsers are expected to do due diligence regarding the claims made in the advertisements they endorse.