SC stays Karntaka High Court order of Tobacco pictorial warnings

NewDelhi Jan 9: The Supreme Court on Monday has stayed an order issued by Karnataka High Court reducing the size of pictorial warnings on packages of tobacco products to 40% of the package space.

Earlier the Karnataka High court has quashed the rules which mandated that 85 % of packaging space on tobacco and its products must be used for pictorial warnings citing it unconstitutional.
However, the Supreme Court has heard an appeal filed against the order by various NGOs and issued a stay on the Judgment.



A Bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra has said that " it is mild to say that tobacco consumption and use causes 'deterioration of health','destruction of health' is a more appropriate phrase to explain the harm caused by tobacco."

Earlier the Industry has said that "The use of such pictures on 85% packaging space is a violation of their fundamental right to do business under Article 19 (1) (g)".

The court has postponed the next hearing of the matter to March 12, 2018.