India top court sets aside order cancelling bigger tobacco health warnings

Godfrey Phillips India

08/01/2018 14:37

NEW DELHI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - India's Supreme Court on Monday 
put on hold a lower court's order that quashed federal rules 
mandating larger health warnings on tobacco packages, in a 
setback for the $11 billion tobacco industry but a relief for 
the government. 
    The High Court of southern Karnataka state last month struck 
down federal government rules requiring 85 percent of a tobacco 
pack's surface to be covered in health warnings, up from 20 
percent earlier. The rules had been in force since 2016. 
    The Supreme Court, which heard petitions brought forward by 
tobacco-control activists, put on hold the Karnataka court's 
order on Monday, saying "health of a citizen has primacy". 
 
 (Reporting by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Peter Graff) 
 ((aditya.kalra@thomsonreuters.com; +91-011-49548021; Reuters 
Messaging: aditya.kalra.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)(Twitter: 
@adityakalra)) 
 
Keywords: INDIA TOBACCO/