Salman Khan told the Kota Consumer Court that he promoted only silver-coated cardamom and “not gutkha” in the disputed advertisement. His legal team says the complaint is baseless and has caused “unnecessary harassment.”
Bollywood actor Salman Khan has given a detailed clarification in the ongoing controversy over a pan masala advertisement. In his reply submitted before the Kota Consumer Court, he clearly stated that he promoted only silver-coated cardamom and “not gutkha.”
He also asked the court to investigate the signatures attached to his response, as questions were raised about whether they were genuine.
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The case began after a complaint accused Salman Khan of appearing in a misleading advertisement for a pan masala brand. The matter is still being heard in the Kota Consumer Court, and the next date of hearing is December 9.
Salman Khan’s lawyer, advocate Ashish Dubey, told the court that the Consumer Commission has no jurisdiction to hear this complaint.
He said that Salman Khan is not a manufacturer or service provider of pan masala, so involving him in the case is legally incorrect.
Dubey further argued that the complainant added Salman Khan to the case without valid grounds, causing “unnecessary harassment.”
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The advocate repeated that Salman Khan never promoted gutkha or pan masala, but only silver-coated cardamom, which does not fall under the pan masala category. This point, he argued, weakens the entire complaint.
However, the complainant, Pradeep Instructor Singh Hani, raised objections to Salman Khan’s reply.
He claimed that the signatures on the submitted document do not look genuine and asked the court to call Salman Khan personally to verify them.
This issue goes back to an advertisement promoting “saffron-coated cardamom” and “saffron-coated pan masala.” Kota BJP leader and advocate Inder Mohan Singh Honey had filed a complaint alleging that Salman Khan and the company were misleading people by suggesting that real saffron was used in a pouch costing only Rs 5.
He argued that such ads encourage the youth to consume pan masala and tobacco products, which can cause serious health problems.
Speaking to ANI, Honey said,
“The company, Rajshree Pan Masala, and its brand ambassador, actor Salman Khan, claim that the product contains saffron and encourages young people to consume it. Salman Khan is a role model for many people.”
He added,
“Celebrities or film stars in other countries don’t even promote cold drinks, but they are promoting tobacco and pan masala. I urge them not to spread the wrong message to the youth as pan masala is one of the leading causes of mouth cancer.”
Considering the issues raised, the court had earlier issued notices to Salman Khan and Rajshree Pan Masala. The matter will continue in the next hearing.
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