SC directs tobacco cos to follow 85% pictorial warning rule

New Delhi, May 4 (KNN) The Supreme Court has directed all tobacco companies to follow rule mandating 85 per cent pictorial warning on packets of tobacco products.

The apex court said in the public interest, tobacco companies should act responsibly, adding any awareness created on the issue would help curb the ill effects of tobacco.

The USD 11 billion industry has been opposing the rule mandating 85% pictorial warning.

The court also declined an industry plea to stay the implementation of the new tobacco-control rules introduced from April 1, which require health warnings to cover 85 per cent of a cigarette pack's surface, up from 20 per cent earlier. 

The tobacco industry "should not violate any rule prevailing as of today," the two-judge bench said during the 45-minute hearing inside a packed courtroom in New Delhi. 

A bench headed by justice P.C. Ghosh also directed all petitions challenging the rule at various courts to be transferred and heard afresh by the Karnataka high court. The apex court set a deadline of eight weeks to dispose of the matter.

The Karnataka Beedi Industry Association which comprises of hundreds of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) had approached the Supreme Court and said that the decision would bring the industry to a “grinding halt” and “cause grave and irreparable harm and loss”. (KNN Bureau)