The Indian government is all set to impose a ban on airing condom ads on television between 5 am and 11 pm, following complaints from "concerned lawyers, grandmothers and politicians" who claim that the "sleazy advertisements" are "spoiling children".
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has now proposed to limit the air time for condom ads to late-night hours only.
According to a report in The Telegraph, the I&B ministry has been "flooded" with complaints from concerned citizens, who feel that the ads are "spoiling kids".
"While about 25 years ago when the first such ads started getting broadcast on TV, condoms were depicted as a contraceptive method and a way of family planning. Present-day ads portray them as pleasure-enhancers and therefore have given rise to free sex," a Nagpur-based lawyer, who appealed to the government against the "vulgar content on TV", wrote.
Another complainant said that such ads have given rise to the "culture of free sex".
The government is expected to hold a debate over the issue before sending a letter to the television channels about the new regulation.
Controversy has been brewing in the country, since Atul Anjan, leader of the Communist Party of India, criticised Sunny Leone, an Indian-Canadian actress currently featuring in a television advert for condoms.
"Open the idiot box and you'll see [a] woman called Sunny Leone. She is the heroine of the world's most vulgar movie. I puked after watching her movie. Nowadays, one of her advertisements is being telecast on the screen where she is seen lying down on the beach and promoting a condom brand. This advertisement develops [a] sexually infested mindset and finishes off your sensibility. If such advertisements will continue to be shown on television then there will certainly be an increase in rape cases," he said during a public meeting last month, Indian Express reported.
