Govt to seize, destroy banned gutka products after June 15

Clandestine stocking and sales should be checked by police and concerned authorities to ensure that the prohibited items are no longer available in the state, a division bench comprising Justice C N Ramachandran Nair and Justice C K Abdul Rahim said.

The court gave the directive while considering a statement filed by the state government that stringent action would be taken against those who continue the sale and distribution of pan masala products.

Kerala Government ordered the ban last month under the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act, 2011, becoming the second state after Madhya Pradesh to do so. It had cited increasing incidence of gutka-induced diseases like oral cancer as the reason for the ban.

Meanwhile, a batch of petitions by manufacturers of tobacco products challenging the legality of prohibition has been referred to a division bench headed by the acting Chief Justice Manjula Chellur.

The arguments on these petitions was going on before a single judge since the last few days.

A PIL was filed seeking to enforce the prohibition, which was allowed today prompting manufacturers to allege that this was state-sponsored and an abuse of process of court.

The government, without disclosing the pendency of petitions before the single judge filed a statement hastily and obtained a favourable order, they also alleged.

Following this controversy, the petitions of the manufacturers were referred to the division bench.

The court had earlier declined to stay the ban imposed on the manufacture and sale of gutka and pan masala products.