Breaking: Application filed to summon Shahrukh Khan as witness in case against Fair & Handsome

Will cine star Shahrukh Khan’s endorsement of Fair & Handsome fairness cream land him in a witness box? We might soon find out.

An application has been filed in District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (Central), New Delhi to summon Shahrukh Khan as a witness in a consumer case against Emami. The Consumer Forum has asked Emami to respond to the same.

The case filed by one Nikhil Jain, pertains to the Fair & Handsome Fairness Cream manufactured by Emami. It is Jain’s case that the cream failed to produce any results as claimed in its advertisements.

In an order passed in 2015, the District Consumer Forum had held in favour of the complainant and had directed Emami Ltd. to withdraw advertisements of the “Fair & Handsome” fairness cream. The company was also directed to deposit Rs. 15 lakh as punitive damages with the Consumer Welfare Fund maintained by State Commission, Delhi.

Emami had chosen to appeal against the said decision to the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The State Commission had held that the District Forum did not consider all the material on record. It had, therefore, set aside the aforesaid order and remanded the matter back to the District Forum for fresh consideration.

The current application has been filed by the complainant in the District Forum to prove his case. The application has been moved by the complainant to buttress his case that Emami’s advertisements are misleading since Shahrukh Khan does not look fair despite using the fairness cream.

The application states,

“That in order to prove and establish the present case, Complainant hereby seeks an opportunity before this Hon’ble Forum of Examination of Mr. Shahrukh Khan, Brand Ambassador, Fair and Handsome, World’s No. 1 Fairness Cream, Emami, which is imperative and needful.”

Paras Jain represented the complainant as his authorised representative. Advocate Saket Sikri appeared for Emami in the State Commission. The District Forum has asked Emami to file its reply. The matter will now be heard on July 27.

Read the order of the State Commission below.

Image taken from here.