Home / Legal Explainers / Citizen Rights & Constitution / Fundamental Rights / Freedom of Speech and Expression / Essential Ingredients of Commercial Speech

Essential Ingredients of Commercial Speech

Last updated on Aug 23, 2022

Article 19(1)(a) protects the rights of the speaker of commercial speech (such as advertisements and informational pamphlets) as well as the rights of an individual to listen, read, and receive it.1 Advertisements and other kinds of commercial speech disseminate information and benefit the public. Any limitation 1 of the propagation, publication, and circulation of commercial speech violates the freedom of speech and expression. However, the freedom of commercial speech is subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2). So, advertisements which are deceptive, unfair, misleading, and untruthful can be regulated. To read more about the law on misleading advertisements, read our explainer on Consumer Rights.

Some commercial speech rights are:

  1. Tata Press Ltd. v. Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd., (1995) 5 SCC 139[↩][↩]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Please share your feedback about this post!

Sharing feedback will help us improve our content. Tell us how!

If you want to keep your feedback confidential, please mention it in your feedback. If you have a question, please ask us in the comments or Ask Nyaaya sections.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a question you want to ask our legal experts?

Ask Nyaaya

Related Resources

Guide on the Rights of Transgender Persons in India

This Guide discusses the general provisions in the Constitution of India, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020.
citizen rights icon

Transparency in Rates of Medicines and Treatments

The law regulates all costs that are levied on patients for services, tests and treatments rendered by medical establishments.

How are lockdowns imposed during Covid-19?

The lockdown is imposed through a set of orders by which the National Disaster Management Authority (National Authority) requests all Government Ministries/Departments including State/Union Territory Governments to take effective measures  to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

How is a Covid-19 vaccination developed?

Covid-19 vaccination is developed in four phases including the pre-clinical trials and three successive clinical trials.

Acts which are not sedition

Criticisms of government policies and their actions, criticisms in good faith or to improve the functioning of the Government do not amount to sedition, as your right to freedom of speech and expression under the Constitution protects these acts.

Effects of Noise Pollution

Noise can disturb our work, rest, sleep, and communication. It can damage hearing and evoke other psychological, and pathological reactions.