DELHI HIGH COURT IMPLIES BAN ON GUTKA
In 2022 September, the food safety commissioner imposed a ban on Gutka, but then it was quashed by the high court. But now, the previous decision is set aside and a bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma himself.
The bench decided to uphold the ban and stated that the manufacture, storage, and sale of gutka or flavored tobacco or pan masala, or any similar products in the city will face the ban. The decision was accompanied by a statement made in support of the ban and it stated that the decision was made keeping the harmful impact of these products on public health, in mind.
The ban was objected to and questioned by many but all the objections were stroked down as no one could justify why the notification of the ban was quashed.
It was mentioned by the court in its 176-page that the Supreme Court has already ordered the governments to imply the same ban all over, it also mentioned that the previous decision 0f quash made by the single judge will not be applicable in the case.
Many tobacco businesses questioned the court about the ban and called it partial for banning smokeless tobacco and not the deadly cigarettes. To the allegations and objections made, the high court responded that the main reason for the ban is “a larger number of users of smokeless tobacco”.
In its statement, the court also mentioned that the decision is made with regard to all laws and that the food commission has all the rights to initiate a ban, as pan masala, chewing tobacco, and gutka are all included in the definition of food under the section 3(1)(j) of the FSSA.
The court also cleared all doubts and strictly stated that the ban is not to prohibit tobacco but is actually to avoid and prohibit addiction to tobacco and asked the public to cooperate with the decision.
As citizens who strive towards the well-being of our country, we are determined to cooperate with the decision to ban these harmful products. Let us see what are harmful effects these banned products have on humans.
- Consumption of smokeless tobacco causes – OSMF (oral submucous fibrosis) which is a chronic and debilitating condition of the oral cavity.
- Gutka has contained nicotine and other cancer-causing chemicals. These can lead to chronic mouth, lip, jaw, tongue, throat, and esophagus cancers.
- Chewing tobacco products also are a cause of lack of sleep and loss of appetite.
- Some chewing tobacco products also lead to low testosterone and estrogen levels.
- Chewing certain tobacco products might lead to impotence.
There are many other harmful side effects of chewing tobacco products as they are addictive. So let us work on keeping our friends and family away from this deadly addiction.