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Cocking a snook at law: Liquor ads dot PCA Stadium
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

NOT IN THE RIGHT SPIRIT: A hoarding of an alcohol company on display during the India-Australia match at the PCA Stadium, Mohali, on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

Chandigarh, October 19
Ban on advertising, including surrogate advertisements, by liquor companies and breweries notwithstanding, a couple of companies have managed to get their hoardings displayed inside the PCA Stadium at Mohali where the second Test match between India and Australia is in progress. Liquor and cigarette advertisements at sports venues are strictly prohibited.

There are hoardings of Fosters beer and Royal Stag, an Indian Made Foreign Liquor brand, in the ground. Even the shirts of Australian players carry the logo of VB (Victoria Bitter), a popular brand of Australian beer. Incidentally, Fosters is also an Australian brand.

Directions and guidelines issued time to time both by the apex court and the union ministry of information and broadcasting, restraining organisers of various international and national sports events from displaying hoardings or allowing in stadia advertisements of liquor companies, breweries or cigarette companies have been flouted with impunity in the recent past.

“I am not aware of these advertisements. In what context and how they have been displayed has to be seen. To be honest, I am not aware if there is a ban on advertisements by liquor companies and breweries,” remarked a senior official of the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department, who was at the PCA stadium watching the game.

Intriguingly, the chairman of the organising committee of this match is Sukhbir Singh Badal, president, Shiromani Akali Dal, the major partner in the ruling SAD-BJP alliance.

In fact, union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss has been critical of various organisations, including the BCCI, for allegedly promoting liquor through surrogate advertisements at their cricket matches. Ramadoss, who is in the forefront of a campaign against alcohol abuse, had been repeatedly quoted saying that “It is unfortunate that things like these are happening out there.”

Early this year, there was a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition in the Supreme Court challenging the name of one of the participating teams in the IPL, Royal Challengers.

“Why do you look for liquor in cricket, you just see the cricket match,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said.

The Bench, which also included Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice M.K. Sharma, observed that there was no advertisement promoting liquor directly or indirectly and the word ‘Royal Challengers’ was different from the word ‘Royal Challenge’.

Interestingly, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), does prohibit advertising in sports stadia or other venues. The Olympics also prohibit advertisements on uniforms, other than uniform-maker logos.

Also, the IOC does not partner with hard liquor companies though it tolerates sponsorships by beer and wine companies. As many as 25 NOCs, including those of China, Japan, Great Britain and the United States, have beer companies as sponsors.

India had banned the cigarette companies from sponsoring sports events. There is also a complete ban on cigarette companies’ advertisements in sports stadia. The excise rules and policies of various states, including Punjab and Chandigarh, also prohibit both liquor companies and their distributors or retailers from advertising.