ASCI upholds 134 of 144 complaints in January

Advertisements in personal and healthcare sectors again emerged with 77 per cent of total misleading advertisements.

Advertising Standards Council of India's Consumer Complaints Council (CCC), a self regulatory industry body, announced the number of complaints it upheld in January, 2014. Of the 144 advertising complaints received, CCC found 134 ads guilty of violating ASCI prescribed codes.

The complaints in the personal and healthcare category counted for nearly 77 per cent of the total upheld. The other categories where the body found the advertisements not substantiated included education, consumer durables, real estate and others.

In the health and personal care category, CCC found a whopping 105 advertisements violating ASCI's code. Some of companies that found themselves in this list include Vasan Healthcare Enterprise which claimed that it helps to regain lost vision; Philips Electronics India which claimed that it does not damage hair even when styled every day; Dabur Chyawanprash which claimed that it provides '3 times more immunity'; Emami's Zandu Kesari Jeevan; Anaconda Oil/Capsule; Anaconda Nutri Slim Powder; Farata Gold Capsules/Oil; Dr. Batra's Homeopathy Clinic; Sumul Dairy and others.

The education category saw institutes such as Triumphant Institute of Management Education, Institute of Finance Banking & Insurance, Institute of Management Technology, Career Launcher and others being pulled up for claims without data support. A total of 10 complaints were upheld for false or misleading ads.

In the consumer durables category, a total of five ads were pulled up. Havells India's ad was pulled up for its claim that Geyser keeps the water hot all day long in just half a unit of electricity. Eco Crystal's ad claimed to be 'No.1 in the world Eco Crystal's RO Water Filter'; and T& G Pure Aqua's ad for Waves RO Water Purifiers claimed that it is 'India's No.1 Water Purifier' and '5 Times better No.1 brand'.

A total of seven advertisements were pulled up in the food and beverage category. Brands whose ads were found guilty are First Choice Food Products, Radikal Overseas, Cadbury India, Parle Products, Jivo Canola and others.

Some of the other complaints that were upheld by the CCC body were against ads of Ansal Properties &Infrastructure, Aegon Religare Life Insurance Company, Shri Lakshmi Cotsyn, Odisha Television Network Tarang Television, Tata Motors, BCCL and others.