A citizen filed a lawsuit against a cream company for failing to lighten his skin tone within three weeks, as advertised. The court ruled in his favor and imposed a ₹1.5 million fine on the company.
According to Indian media reports, Jain Nikhil from New Delhi filed the complaint in 2013 after watching an advertisement featuring Shah Rukh Khan promoting the fairness cream Fair and Handsome. In the ad, Khan claimed that using the cream would result in fairer and more attractive skin.
Nikhil used the cream regularly for three weeks, as instructed, but did not see any change in his complexion. Frustrated, he approached the consumer court.
After an 11-year-long legal battle, the court ruled in favor of Nikhil, declaring the company’s advertisement misleading. The court noted that the product was marketed with a clear promise of fairer and more attractive skin, but the instructions provided were vague and incomplete. It stated that the company knew the claims made in the ad were unrealistic.
The court ordered the company to pay ₹1.45 million to the Delhi Consumer Welfare Fund and ₹50,000 to Nikhil as compensation. Additionally, the court directed the company to reimburse Nikhil ₹10,000 for legal expenses.
