The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) clarified on Friday that it has directed its members and others to refrain from issuing any new advertisements without a self-declaration certificate (SDC). Any new advertisement released after June 18 can be released with the SDC, as mandated by the Supreme Court and notified by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
ASCI’s clarification follows several news reports claiming that the advertising body advised broadcasters and advertisers not to release new ads between June 18 and July 9.
Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General of ASCI, said, “This has reference to certain news item which appeared in media today stating that ASCI has asked its members and other advertisers not to release advertisement post June 18 till July 9th and await for Supreme Court’s clarification on the self-declaration certificate,”
“ASCI would like to clarify that it has asked its members or others not to issue any new advertisement WITHOUT a self-declaration certificate (SDC). Any new ad post June 18th can be released with the SDC as mandated by the Supreme Court and as notified by MIB. We would like to clarify this and accordingly please do rectify your news article including the headline,” she added.
Recently, during a meeting between MIB and the advertising and media industry bodies, the ministry emphasised the need to implement SDC mandate by June 18, citing the Supreme Court order.
Supreme Court had issued directive in its Order dated May 7, 2024, that all advertisers/advertising agencies must submit a SDC before publishing or broadcasting any advertisement.
Advertisers will need to obtain SDCs through the Broadcast Seva portal for television and radio ads, and via the Press Council of India (PCI) portal for print and digital ads.
The self-declaration certificate is to certify that the advertisement does not contain misleading claims, and complies with all relevant regulatory guidelines, including those stipulated in Rule 7 of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 and the Norms of Journalistic Conduct of Press Council of India.
Advertiser must provide proof of uploading the SDC to the relevant broadcaster, printer, publisher, or electronic media platform for their records. As per the Supreme Court’s directive, no advertisement will be permitted to run on television, print media, or the internet without a valid SDC.
Earlier, MIB stated that the Supreme Court directive is a step towards ensuring transparency, consumer protection, and responsible advertising practices. It urged all advertisers, broadcasters and publishers to adhere to this directive diligently.
