Bollywood figures Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Ajay Devgn have received legal notices in a case related to gutka advertisements, according to information provided by the central government in response to a contempt petition filed in the Allahabad Court’s Lucknow bench.
The central government’s representative informed the High Court on Friday that the same matter was under consideration in the Supreme Court, and therefore, the current petition should be dismissed.
Following this presentation, the bench scheduled the hearing for May 9, 2024. Previously, Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan’s bench had instructed the central government to address the petitioner’s representation, which originally argued for action against actors and dignitaries endorsing gutka companies despite receiving prestigious awards.
The court also learned that Amitabh Bachchan had served a legal notice to a gutka company still featuring his advertisement, even though he had terminated his contract with them. The petitioner argued that despite submitting the representation to the government on October 22, no action had been taken. Consequently, in response to the contempt petition, the high court issued a notice to the Cabinet Secretary of the central government.
It’s worth noting that in India, the direct promotion of gutka or tobacco-related products is prohibited due to health risks. Nevertheless, companies circumvent regulations through surrogate advertising, endorsing gutka brands under seemingly unrelated products like flavored betel nuts.
