Bengaluru: The High Court on Tuesday disposed of a petition seeking directions to ban all forms of chewing tobacco, including flavoured and scented.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice K Somashekar disposed of the petition after the state government issued a notification saying it has banned manufacturing and selling of tobacco. The bench, in the order, said if there had been any violation, the petitioners can approach the authorities.
A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by the Cancer Patients’ Aid Association seeking directions to prohibit the manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of all forms of chewing tobacco including flavoured, scented etc. The petitioner had contended that though there was a ban on sale and distribution of chewing tobacco, the state and the Union governments had failed to implement it. Though Karnataka has banned gutka, still plain chewing tobacco was sold in separate pouches.
