Advertising is an important and legitimate means for a seller to awaken interest in his products. Advertising industry in India is on the expansion spree for the last few years and has become a serious and big business growing at considerable rate. However, the growth of this industry is affected by the prevalent malpractices carried out by advertisers in order to lure the consumers and sustaining an edge over the competitors. Advertisement, often described as commercial speech, enjoys its protection under Article 19(1) (a) of the Indian Constitution. As a facet of the right to information, it facilitates the dissemination of information about the sellers and their products. However, the manner of facilitation is subject to a number of statutory provisions. This bulletin attempts to give an overview of the various regulations and their efficacy in monitoring the practices prevalent in the advertisement world.
At present in India, there is no central statutory agency or uniform legislation regulating the advertising industry. The Indian advertising market as a whole is regulated and controlled by a non-statutory body, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). In the absence of uniform integrated legislation, it is necessary for advertisers to ensure that an advertisement is in compliance with all local and national advertisement laws.
Key words: Law , Advertisement ,India
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