The brands have been accused of alluding to banned products in their advertisements The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has banned 12 liquor companies from surrogate advertising, according to a media report. These companies have been pulled up following an investigation for violating the ASCI code. The advertisers had reportedly failed to convince the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) that the ads were genuine brand extensions or had cues of the category whose advertising is restricted or prohibited, according to Manisha Kapoor, the Secretary General of ASCI. She said that these ads that have been pulled up cannot be aired or published unless they are modified.

In the ads, the brands have been accused of alluding to products that are prohibited by the law. Reports say ASCI has taken up 14 complaints. In two cases, the advertisers voluntarily decided to withdraw their ads. The other 12 who didn't do so were banned from surrogate advertising.