S Sabaqat
Early Times Report
srinagar, June 1: A division bench of the state high court has banned the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products not carrying health warning covering 85 pc of space on their packets.
Allowing a PIL, the division bench of Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice A M Magrey directed government to ensure implementation of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco products (Packaging and Labelling), Amendment Rules, 2014.
"The petition is allowed with a direction to the respondents to ensure implementation of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco products (Packaging and Labelling), Amendment Rules, 2014 and ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products not having 85 pc specified health warning and such tobacco products which were not satisfying the rule, have to be seized and destroyed. It is made clear that the tobacco products manufactured prior to the implementation of the rule be allowed to be sold without any disturbance till the stocks possessed by the sellers are sold out," the bench said.
In the PIL, the petitioner besides seeking prohibition on its sale, has also sought direction to officials to confiscate all cigarettes and other tobacco products having pictorial and textual warning of less than 85 pc. The petitioner submitted that the state administration had failed to implement the rules as the cigarettes and other tobacco products were still being sold without following the prescribed 85 pc warning norms.
"As per rules, cigarettes and other tobacco products packaging should contain 60 c pictorial health warning and 25 pc textual health warning, a total of 85 pc principal space on packaging of Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products should be covered with warnings," the petitioner demanded.
The petitioner said tobacco was the leading cause of death globally and according to the World Health Organization, the direct use of tobacco kills an estimated 5.4 million people worldwide in a year from lung cancer, heart diseases, tuberculosis and other illnesses. He said an estimated additional 600,000 people a year die from second hand smoke. Tobacco use is a risk factor for six of the eight leading causes of deaths in the world. According to a report published by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, he said, the total economic costs (direct and indirect) attributable to tobacco use from all diseases in India in 2011 for persons aged between 35 and 69 amounted to Rs. 1,04,500 cr. |
