AMN
The Supreme Court has stayed the Karnataka High Court order quashing the 2014 government regulation that packets of tobacco products must carry pictorial warning covering 85 per cent of the packaging space, saying that “health of a citizen has primacy”.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said yesterday it was “unimpressed” with the submissions of the Tobacco Institute of India (TII) that the interim stay would harm the fundamental right to do business of tobacco manufacturers.
Attorney General K K Venugopal and Advocate R Balasubramanian, appearing for the Centre, said that the high court judgement needed to be stayed and 85 per cent pictorial warning on packaging space of tobacco products be allowed to remain as a large section of the population is not educated.
The bench posted the matter for final hearing on March 12 and asked the parties to complete pleading in the meantime.