Probe plaint against Ajay Devgn for pan masala ad: Court to police

Thane, Nov 19: A local court has directed police to inquire into a complaint filed against Ajay Devgn, seeking to book the Bollywood actor under charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, for promoting a pan masala on television.

Advocate Amar Shribad filed the complaint in the Bhiwandi court on October 14, urging to book Devgn under culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other charges for promoting the pan masala brand on TV channels.

Bhiwandi court's Judicial Magistrate D P Kale on Tuesday directed Narpoli police to conduct a probe and file its report by December 30. The complainant stated that because of advertisements like this, many people consume pan masala and have died or are still dying of mouth cancer.

In his complaint, Shribad also claimed that despite there being a ban on gutka in the state, the actor's endorsement of the pan masala was provoking people to consume it and it was being illegally sold.

"I decided to file the petition against Devgn six months back when my eight-year-old son wanted to eat the pan masala after watching the advertisement on TV," he stated. The complainant said that after watching the advertisement, his son asked him also to start eating the pan masala, then he will get energy like "Singham" (a character played by Devgn in the film of the same name), Shribad said.

When contacted, Narpoli's senior police inspector Anil Akade said they were yet to get a copy of the court order.

PTI