Health Ministry notice to 15 websites for selling e-cigarettes; social media sites under scanner
The Hindu
Health Ministry sends notices to 15 websites selling e-cigarettes, which are banned in India, to stop advertisement & sale. 6 more websites on radar. 4 of 15 have responded & shut down operations. Health Ministry warns of legal action & penalties if directive not complied with.
The Union Health Ministry has sent notices to 15 websites selling e-cigarettes, which are banned in India, directing them to stop advertisement and sale of the products, official sources said.
Six more websites are on the radar, they said, adding the Ministry is also closely monitoring the advertisement and sale of e-cigarettes on social media and might issue notices to them soon.
Of the 15 websites which have been issued the "takedown notice", four have stopped operations while the rest have not responded yet, an official source told PTI.
Also Read | No, vapes aren’t 95% less harmful than cigarettes. Here’s how this decade-old myth took off
"If they don't respond and comply with the law, the Health Ministry will write to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for taking down these websites. Legal action will also be taken against these websites accordingly," the source said.
The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act came into force in 2019.
The Health Ministry's notice to the websites said, "We have identified that information relating to online advertisement and sale of illegal e-cigarettes, which is unlawful under Section 4 of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act is being hosted, displayed, published, transmitted and shared on your platform."
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”