Tanuj

The Supreme Court on 19th march'07 issued notice to the central and states government on a public suit seeking guidelines on mass media advertisements by real estate operators and builders to protect consumers.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice P.K. Balasubramanyan and Justice R.V. Raveendran issued the notice on the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Sanrakshak - the Protector, highlighting the misleading and false campaigns by the real estate developers.

The PIL alleged that some unscrupulous builders and developers across the country were duping public with misleading advertisements in the print and electronic media that their projects were approved by the authorities concerned.

The petitioner pointed out that, invariably after the publication of the advertisements, the government or the authorities were issuing clarifications denying that approvals had been given for such projects.

The NGO, which alleged that such builders and land mafia were cheating people of crores of rupees, sought a direction to the ministry of urban development, ministry of law and justice and the Press Council of India to constitute a statutory or regulatory body to examine every aspect of the claim made in such public advertisements.

The court also sought response from the law ministry on a submission by the NGO that necessary amendment was required in the Indian Penal Code to insert Section 420(B) as recommended by the Law Commission in Section 420, related to cheating, to deal with false advertisements.