LONDON, UK, February 21, 2008: Britain has banned a television advertisement for a Hindu religious pendant which claimed to ward off evil spirits.
The advertisement, which was broadcast in Hindi, featured a “Ganesha Rudraksha” pendant. It claimed to promote good health and protect the wearer from any obstacles.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), an independent advertising watchdog, ruled last week that the advertisement for the pendant had breached television advertising standards which prohibit advertising for products or services within the recognized character of the occult.
In its argument, the TV channel said that wearing the Rudraksha for Hindus was comparable to Christians wearing a cross. Just as it was impossible to prove that a cross would ward off evil, it was similarly impossible for them to give scientific proof about Rudraksha, or to prove it doesn’t, the channel claimed.