Cuttack: The Odisha State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has temporarily halted legal proceedings against Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan in a consumer complaint accusing him of promoting a misleading soft drink advertisement.
The interim stay was granted after Roshan appealed against an order of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Kalahandi, which had rejected his request to be removed from the case and allowed the matter against him to proceed.
The complaint was filed by Deepak Kumar Dubey, a resident of Khariar in Kalahandi district. Dubey claimed that his 11-year-old son was heavily influenced by a television commercial featuring Hrithik Roshan, in which the actor endorsed a soft drink by suggesting it could provide energy and help overcome fear.
According to the petitioner, the child became convinced that consuming the beverage would enhance his sports performance in school and even tried to replicate the daring stunts shown in the advertisement. The father alleged that the commercial contained false and misleading claims that negatively impacted his son.
Dubey had named both Hrithik Roshan and the soft drink manufacturer as parties in the complaint. The district commission admitted the case and issued notices to the actor and the company.
Roshan then approached the district commission seeking his name to be dropped from the proceedings, but his plea was turned down. He subsequently moved the State Consumer Commission in Cuttack challenging the district panel’s decision.
On Friday, the State Commission issued an interim stay on the proceedings against the actor and directed the original complainant and the beverage company to file their responses. Notices have also been issued to them.
The Bollywood star was represented by advocates Tirtha Kumar Sahoo and Shubham Satpathy during the hearing.
