Madhya Pradesh High Court to Examine Legality of Celebrity-Endorsed Ads for Online Legal Services

September 12, 2025 at 5:32 pm Tanya S. 2 min read

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has agreed to hear a petition challenging the rising trend of celebrity-backed advertisements promoting online legal services. The case highlights concerns of misleading promotions, commercialization of the legal profession, and possible violations of Bar Council of India (BCI) rules.

A bench of Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Jai Kumar Pillai has issued notices to the respondents and fixed the next hearing for October 27.

Background of the Case

The dispute centres on advertisements running on platforms like YouTube and Instagram, where a popular actor is seen portraying a judge-like persona. These ads promote fixed-price online legal services, claiming to offer “the best legal solutions.”

Issues Raised

The petitioners, a group of lawyers, argue that such ads:

Mislead the public by reducing advocacy to a commercial product.
Violate Rules 36 and 37 of the BCI Rules, which prohibit advertising, solicitation, and promotional activities by advocates.

The sequence of events includes:

January 10, 2025: A cease-and-desist notice was sent to YouTube.
February 21, 2025: YouTube denied the applicability of the Advocates Act.
Subsequent complaints before the BCI and State Bar Council, where no action was taken.

Left with no alternative, the lawyers approached the High Court.

Reliefs Sought

The petition, filed through advocates Prashant Upadhyay, Harsh Kushwaha, and Prashant Yadav, seeks:

Immediate removal of all celebrity-endorsed or sponsored ads promoting legal services.
Directions to BCI, State Bar Councils, and Union ministries to monitor and prevent such advertisements in future.
Accountability of platforms like YouTube and Instagram for hosting and profiting from such content.

The petitioners have also relied on the Madras High Court judgment in PN Vignesh v. Bar Council of India (2024), which held that intermediaries cannot claim blanket safe-harbour when unlawful content is promoted.