In short
- ASCI asks the advertiser for a written response within five business days, or seven if claims need technical support. Ask for any extension in writing within two business days.
- If the Consumer Complaints Council upholds a complaint, you get ten business days to withdraw or modify. ASCI then refers non-compliance to the relevant regulator.
- Volunteering to withdraw or modify within the first three days, and finishing within ten business days, can resolve a complaint informally, without a council decision.
- A council recommendation on the three main claims covers the same claims across all media, so fix every creator post, repost and ad, not just the one cited.
When a complaint is filed against your ad, ASCI first checks that the complaint is within its remit and complete, then writes to you and asks for a written response, normally within five business days. A Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) decides the case on the papers. If it upholds the complaint, you have ten business days to withdraw or modify the ad, and ASCI refers continued non-compliance to the relevant regulator.
Every step below comes from ASCI's own Complaints Procedures document (the edition we read is dated January 2025), its complaint FAQ and its published pages. This post sits under our ASCI influencer guidelines explainer, which sets out the rules ASCI applies, and our complete guide to influencer marketing in India. ASCI processed 1,609 influencer ads in FY2025-26, and 97.3 percent needed modification, so a complaint is a normal event, not a crisis.
Where complaints come from
ASCI's procedures name four kinds of complaint. How you were found affects what you can expect.
| Source | How it arrives | Is the complainant named to you? |
|---|---|---|
| General public and consumers | WhatsApp text, online form, email, telephone or letter; no fee | No. ASCI does not disclose an individual complainant's identity and rejects anonymous complaints |
| Non-public bodies: NGOs, regulators, consumer groups, industry bodies | Same channels | Yes, as an interested party |
| Another advertiser (intra-industry) | General route, free, or a paid Fast Track if both parties are ASCI members | Yes |
| ASCI itself (suo motu) | A Board, council or Secretariat member's written complaint, or ASCI's own media monitoring | Not applicable |
ASCI says suo motu complaints go through the same process as the rest. Its public outcomes page lists each case with its result and its source, such as general public or suo motu monitoring.
What ASCI checks before it writes to you
ASCI regulates the content of advertising, so the first test is remit. After that, the procedures set several filters:
- Verification. ASCI acknowledges a complaint within three business days and verifies it to screen out fake and vexatious complaints.
- Sub judice. ASCI will not process an ad whose subject matter is before a court or a regulator, or already decided by one. The complainant has to disclose this, and an advertiser can raise it.
- Recency. A complaint is processed only if the ad was published within three months before the complaint. For digital media, ASCI may look at older ads depending on the objections and the consumer exposure.
- Three main claims. If a complaint raises many objections, ASCI takes up three main claims per ad. A recommendation on those claims then applies to the same claims across all media.
- Informal resolution by the Secretariat. Where there is no consumer detriment or no prima facie breach, ASCI may resolve a complaint informally, without a council decision.
- Preview. If a complaint looks frivolous, the Secretariat puts it before the council as a preview case. If the council says no action, ASCI tells both sides within three business days of the minutes.
The clock, in business days
Count from the day you receive the complaint from ASCI.
| Day | What is due | Source in the procedures |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Last day to ask in writing for more time, with reasons | Communication with the advertiser |
| 2 | A copy of the ad, if the complainant could not supply it | Examination of a complaint |
| 3 | Volunteer to withdraw or modify, to resolve informally | Informal resolution |
| 5 | Written response with supporting documents; day 7 if claims need technical support | Communication with the advertiser |
| 10 | Withdrawal or modification complete, if you chose informal resolution | Informal resolution |
ASCI may ask for clarification after your response, to be sent within five business days. If you miss a deadline, ASCI proceeds on the material it has, and the council treats the case as ex parte. No later documents are considered unless there are extenuating circumstances.
What to put in the written response
The council deliberates on the written response alone, so it has to carry the case. Build it as a short evidence pack.
- A claims table. Each claim in the complaint, the exact words used in the ad and the evidence behind it. ASCI's Code says claims about objectively ascertainable facts must be capable of substantiation and that advertisers and agencies must produce it when called on.
- Source and date for research. Where the ad says it rests on independent research, the Code expects the source and date to appear in the ad.
- Technical data in full. Lab reports, market research and clinical data go to ASCI's panel of independent technical experts, who report to the council. You may ask for a meeting with the expert within two business days and answer the opinion within three.
- Disclosure evidence. For influencer complaints about labels, include the approved label wording, the post screenshots and the contract clause. If you dispute that the post was an ad at all, Addendum 1 to the influencer guidelines asks for a declaration signed by a senior member of the advertiser, such as the marketing or legal head, or proof of purchase from the influencer where the advertiser is untraceable.
- A named signatory. One person who can speak for the brand, with the creator and agency copied.
Informal resolution or contest
| If | Lean towards | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The claim is weak and the fix is cheap, such as a missing label or an unsupported superlative | Informal resolution | ASCI says such complaints need not go through the formal council evaluation, provided you finish within ten business days |
| The claim is supportable and the evidence is ready | Written response and council | The council can find the complaint not upheld |
| Evidence needs a lab or a study you do not yet have | Ask for the extra two days in writing, or choose informal resolution | A thin response is decided on what is there |
| The campaign is nearly over | Informal resolution | Cost of a fix is small; ASCI says changes must be made within ten business days of the complaint |
If you promise informal resolution and do not finish within ten business days, the complaint goes to the council anyway.
How the council decides
The Consumer Complaints Council has two groups: 16 members from professions not related to advertising and 24 members from ASCI's member companies. A meeting has at most nine members. The procedure caps the first group at five and the second at three, and the Board nominates one company member to every meeting, who counts as part of the second group. Quorum is five, with the first group in the majority and at least one member from the second. The council seeks consensus and votes by show of hands if it needs to.
There is no oral hearing. The procedures say personal representations are not part of the meeting and that written responses meet the norms of natural justice. If you do not respond by the due date, the council may deliberate ex parte.
After the decision
ASCI sends the recommendation to you and the complainant within three business days of the minutes, with a copy to your agency if its name is disclosed and to the media named in the complaint. If the complaint is upheld, you have ten business days to withdraw or modify the ad. ASCI advises both parties not to publish the recommendation in any news medium, although its own outcomes page is public.
If you do not confirm compliance, ASCI's Vice-Chairman writes to you asking for implementation within five business days, and the agency and media are told that the ad contravenes the Code. ASCI also sends this to its media members. After that, ASCI gives the recommendation to the concerned regulatory authority or government department. Its FAQ says it publishes lists of non-compliant advertisers and of non-compliant influencers. The influencer page we read lists influencers and brands side by side, with cases from June 2021 to September 2026.
Reviews, appeals and suspension
| Route | Available when | Deadline | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Re-examination | A recommendation was made ex parte | Written application and fee within 10 business days | Suspend the ad, or remove the objected claims across all media including YouTube and websites, while you wait; you undertake to accept the outcome |
| CCC review | You have additional material not given earlier | Tell ASCI within 5 business days, complete prerequisites within 10 | Same suspension condition; fee applies |
| Independent Review Process | A substantial flaw in the recommendation or procedure, or a sub judice point | Application and fee within 10 business days | Same suspension condition; heard by a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge on the existing record; unavailable for ex parte recommendations |
If an ad with the objected claim reappears after you promised to suspend it, ASCI may refuse that review and further review requests for three months. Separately, in exceptional cases where an ad is in serious breach and may cause public harm, ASCI can direct suspension before investigating; the council must then decide within 30 days.
What this means for creator campaigns
Two details matter most. First, the three-claim rule means a council recommendation travels across media. If one creator's Reel is complained about, find every identical claim in every other creator post, brand-handle repost and partnership ad, and fix them together. Our content takedown process sets out how.
Second, ASCI's FAQ puts the duty to modify or delete on the influencer and the advertiser together, and your contract is what makes the creator fast. Write the label, a takedown time and a payment hold into the influencer contract. Our compliance checklist is built to stop the complaint arriving, and our disclosure line templates remove the most common cause.
What we could not source
The procedures document we read is the January 2025 edition, so check ASCI's site for a newer one before relying on a deadline. We found no published count of how many influencer complaints end in informal resolution and how many reach the council, no rule on whether ASCI writes to creators directly, and no statement of how long an entry stays on the non-compliant list. Dispute routes that sit outside ASCI are covered in influencer dispute resolution.
If you want a campaign built so that a complaint has an evidence pack ready, ask for a creator plan. Our influencer marketing strategy service covers the planning.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
- ASCI Complaints Procedures (edition January 2025): submitting a complaint, examination, communication with the advertiser, informal resolution, Consumer Complaints Council procedure, post-council procedure, re-examination, CCC review, Independent Review Process, suspension pending investigation, ASCI (January 2025)
- How we handle complaints, ASCI (undated page, accessed 1 Nov 2026)
- Complaint FAQ, ASCI (undated page, accessed 1 Nov 2026)
- Non-compliant social media influencers and brands (status as of 5 October 2026), ASCI (5 Oct 2026)
- Complaint outcomes, ASCI (listing accessed 1 Nov 2026)
- The ASCI Code: responsibility for observance; Chapter I (substantiation); guidelines for influencer advertising in digital media (Addendum 1, 15 Jul 2021), ASCI (undated pages, accessed 1 Nov 2026)
- Annual Complaints Report 2025-26, ASCI (28 May 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How long does an ASCI complaint take to decide?
ASCI's FAQ says the average lead time for a non-technical case is 15 working days from a complete complaint, and most cases reach resolution within 8 to 10 weeks. Cases that need technical experts take longer. The advertiser's own clocks are much shorter: five business days for the written response. See our ASCI guide for the rules ASCI applies.
Can a brand contest an ASCI decision?
Yes, within ASCI's framework. An advertiser can seek re-examination of an ex parte recommendation, a council review on new material, or an Independent Review Process before a retired judge. Each has a deadline and a fee, and the advertiser must suspend or modify the ad while it waits. The review table in this post gives the conditions.
Will ASCI tell us who complained?
Not for a member of the public. ASCI's procedures say the identity of an individual complainant is not disclosed to the advertiser, and anonymous complaints are not accepted. The advertiser is told who complained when the complaint comes from another advertiser, a regulator, a consumer group or another interested party.
Does ASCI approve our corrected ad?
No. ASCI's procedures say it is not a clearing house, ads are not pre-cleared, and modifications made after a recommendation are not cleared or approved. A modified ad can be complained about again. Never tell a client that ASCI has signed off the fix. Our crisis management guide covers the response.
What happens if we ignore an ASCI recommendation?
ASCI sends a letter from its Vice-Chairman asking for implementation within five business days, tells the agency and any media named, and then gives the recommendation to the concerned regulatory authority. ASCI also publishes a list of non-compliant advertisers and a list of non-compliant influencers. Statutory exposure is covered in brand liability for influencer posts.
Who receives the ASCI letter for an influencer post?
ASCI's procedures say it writes to the advertiser, and to the media if known. Its FAQ says that when an influencer does not disclose a material connection, the influencer and the advertiser are required to modify or delete the post. We found no rule naming creators as recipients, so make sure creators are contractually bound to act quickly. See influencer contracts in India.