A Supreme Court bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhansu Dhulia, on Friday, dismissed a plea seeking direction for removing designated smoking zones from commercial places and airports and increasing the age of smoking, banning the sale of cigarettes near educational institutions, healthcare institutions and places of worship.
The bench, while dismissing the plea remarked, “If you want publicity, argue a good case…Don’t file publicity interest litigation”.
The PIL filed by Advocates Shubham Awasthi and Sapta Rishi Mishra sought direction to the Central Government to exercise its power in a rightful manner, and initiate scientific studies and other steps like bans etc. to control the sale and addiction of tobacco, specifically, cigarettes in the country alleging that such products affect citizen’s right to health and influence them wrongly.
The plea also mentioned the factsheet released by the World Health Organization in the year 2018 which quoted the younger population in India to be at an increased chance of Cardio-Vascular Diseases and said that tobacco including cigarettes is a major contributor in killing 9 million people in India or 9.5% of all deaths in India.
