A self-declaration certificate will become mandatory for all new advertisements from June 18, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said on Monday. This has been done to comply with the ruling of the Supreme Court.

Last month, the Court ruled that all advertisers and advertising agencies must submit a ‘self-declaration certificate’ before publishing or broadcasting any advertisement. Following this, the Ministry has introduced a new feature on its Broadcast Seva Portal and on the Press Council of India’s portal for print and digital/internet advertisements. The certificate, signed by an authorised representative of the advertiser/advertising agency, needs to be submitted through these portals.

The portal will be activated on Tuesday. “The self-declaration certificate is required to be obtained by all advertisers and advertising agencies for all new advertisements that will be issued/telecast/aired/published on or after June 18, 2024,” the Ministry said. A buffer period of two weeks has been kept for providing sufficient time to all stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the process of self- certification. “Ongoing advertisements do not require self-certification currently,” the Ministry clarified.

The self-declaration certificate is to certify that the advertisement (i) does not contain misleading claims and (ii) 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 the Press Council of India. The advertiser must provide proof of uploading the self-declaration certificate to the relevant broadcaster, printer, publisher, or electronic media platform for their records. As per the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s directive, no advertisement will be permitted to run on television, print media, or the internet without a valid self-declaration certificate.

“The Court directive is a step towards ensuring transparency, consumer protection, and responsible advertising practices,” the Ministry said while urging all advertisers, broadcasters, and publishers to adhere to this directive diligently.

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