HC restrains Board from sponsoring tobacco meet
The High Court on Friday restrained the Tobacco Board from participating in the Global Tobacco Networking Forum (GTNF) 2010, the third international conference on Tobacco, to be held in Bangalore from October 4.
Hearing a petition filed by Institute of Public Health, a private organisation, the division bench headed by justice D V Shylendra Kumar in its interim direction asked the Board not to sponsor the event as well to ensure that the Rs 3.27 lakh granted as an expenditure to take delegates to tobacco growing sites to be taken back.
“The board is restrained from participating and sponsoring activities of tobacco companies. If any money is given you can make efforts to get it back,” the bench observed.
The petitioner had challenged the action of the Tobacco Board, sponsoring the GTNF 2010, stating that the action of the board is in violation of the provisions of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003 (COTPA).
According to them, the Act prohibits all forms of advertisement, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products.
The bench has observed that the active participation of the Board in the publicity of the event and incurring the expenditure into is most undesirable act under section 5 (3)of the COTPA act.
The petitioner stated that the participation of the Board in the meet is directly conflict with the interest in Tobacco companies. The primary interest of the state should be in protecting the public health and welfare of its citizen.
