The Supreme Court in India has asked the union government to respond to allegations that it was not implementing a law for having pictorial warnings on cigarette packs under pressure from the tobacco lobby.

Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran issued notice on a petition filed by advocates Narinder Sharma and Himansgu Gupta after it was alleged that pressure from the tobacco lobby was blocking the implementation of rules on mandatory warnings on packs of tobacco products.
The advocates pointed out that The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules 2006, which stipulates printing of warnings on tobacco products, was to initially come into force in February 2007.
However, the government first deferred its implementation to June 2007 and later to December, but did not implement it, the advocates said, claiming that it now it appears that it has been postponed indefinitely.
They alleged that the government appears to have buckled under political pressure and the rules have been referred back to parliament for approval after substantial changes. The petitioners seek immediate implementation of the 2006 Rules. (pi)