Mumbai, May 22: The advertising watchdog Advertisement Standards Council of India (ASCI) has declared All India Poultry Development and Services Private Limited (AIPDSPL)'s ad featuring ace tennis player Sania Mirza, as 'misleading' by facts, exaggerated, and ambiguous.

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has welcomed the recent decision and has urged Mirza to disassociate from the ad because of misleading the consumers and providing wrong information. The ad dates, February 27, 2018, and appeared on the front page of a leading national daily. According to ASCI, the advertisement had wholly misrepresented the ground reality by saying the poultry sector is not misusing antibiotics. It had also misused and distorted the results of a CSE study of 2014 on antibiotic residues in chicken.

According to a statement issued by CSE, Amit Khurana, senior programme manager, food safety and toxins, CSE has said, “Earlier, we had written to Ms Mirza apprising her about the malpractice of antibiotic misuse in poultry sector and the libellous nature of this advertisement. As a responsible role model, we urged her to publicly disassociate herself from this advertisement. We once again ask her to consider doing so."

ASCI has asked AIPDSPL to either withdraw the ad or modify it by May 23. Humane Society International, India filed the complaint against the advertisement.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2018 10:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).