The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday closed a PIL petition, which had sought direction to the authorities to prohibit chewing tobacco, as the State government on October 26 banned the sale of flavoured chewing tobacco being sold in sachets as an alternative after the ban imposed on gutka in 2013.
A Division Bench passed the order after the government counsel produced copies of the notification, issued on October 26, following a direction issued by the Supreme Court to all the State governments.
Through the circulars, all Deputy Commissioners, the designated officers, and the Food Supply Officers were directed to prohibit the manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of gutka and pan masala (containing tobacco or nicotine) and any other product marketed separately to constitute as gutka or pan masala as final product, by whatsoever name called, whether packaged or un-packaged and/or sold as one product, or though packaged as separate products, sold or distributed in such a manner so as to easily facilitate mixing by the consumer, in their district/jurisdictions.
Taking note of the notification, the Bench said nothing survives for the court to consider the plea made in the petition, filed by Cancer Patients’ Aid Association, but gave liberty to the petitioner to approach the authorities concerned for proper implementation of the ban order in the event of any problem in enforcing the ban.
Meanwhile, the court clarified that it did not express opinion on the merits of the contents of the October 26 notification.
