In the case of Shubham Awasthi & Anr v. Union of India moved by advocates Shubham Awasthi and Sapta Rishi Mishra also sought that designated smoking zones be removed from commercial establishments and airports, as well as a prohibition on the selling of cigarettes near the educational, hospital, and religious institutions.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) case has been filed at the Supreme Court, requesting that the government develop plans to combat cigarette and smoking addiction.
Advocates Shubham Awasthi and Sapta Rishi Mishra asked for an increase in the smoking age from 18 to 21, the removal of designated smoking zones from commercial places and airports, a ban on the sale of loose cigarettes, and a ban on the sale of cigarettes near educational institutions, healthcare institutions, and places of worship, among other things.
The petitioners also requested that the penalty for smoking in public areas be increased.
In addition, the petitioners argued for the start of scientific investigations as well as other measures to regulate the sale and addiction of tobacco in India, particularly cigarettes, because it affects residents’ right to health.
The plea claimed that the rate of smoking has increased in the last two decades, with India now placing second in the smokers category for the 16-64 age group, based on a news report about the Health Ministry’s failure to regulate smoking.
“The young people getting addicted to smoking of tobacco products do so in order to look cool or under peer pressure. They see adults smoking and it becomes a rite of passage or their inducement to initiate smoking to show that they are matured now,”
The Petitioenr Submitted
The petitioner also relied on factual evidence, including a research published in the Journal of Nicotine and Tobacco Research that highlighted the tremendous economic burden of secondhand smoking exposure in India.
According to the report, secondhand smoking costs INR 567 billion in health care costs each year.
“This accounts for eight per cent of total annual health care expenditure, on top of Rs. 1,773 billion in annual economic burden from tobacco use,”
The plea Stated
As a result, the petitioners argued that the petition’s outcome would be beneficial to all citizens.
