India: Why Not Ban Cigarette, Bidi and Other Tobacco Products in Rajasthan: HC

Source from:  The Times of India  07/09/2013

The Rajasthan high court has sought the responses of Union and state governments on a PIL seeking a ban on production, storage and selling of cigarettes, bidi and all other tobacco products in the state.

In a PIL filed by Rajasthan Jan Morcha, an NGO, it has been given out that on July 18, 2012 the state government banned gutkha as a tobacco product but more tobacco is consumed via bidi and cigarettes. As such, the ban should have been extended unanimously on all tobacco products.
 
As per WHO report, 13,293 people die every day due to smoking and as per an estimate, 9 lakh people die every year. If not checked, the number will increase to 1 million per year in India, says the PIL.

The petition seeks that a ban be placed on tobacco products uniformly including pan masala, gutkha, cigarettes and bidies.

A division bench of high court comprising Chief Justice Amitava Roy and Justice V S Siradhana directed the state and Union health secretaries and chief secretary, Rajasthan, to file a response within a period of two weeks. Enditem