Selling tobacco to minors now a serious offence

Selling tobacco products to minors in India is now punishable with a jail term of up to seven years and a Rs100,000 fine, according to a story in the Hindustan Times.

These punishments are said to be provided for within the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which was passed by parliament last month and which was due to be notified today.

The Times story said that with the new act the government had for the first time made providing tobacco products to people under 18 years of age a serious criminal offence. The previous Juvenile Justice Act covered only liquor and narcotics.

The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act prohibits the sale of tobacco products to people under 18 years of age and within a 100-meter radius of educational institutions. The penalties for violations are up to three months in jail and a fine of Rs200.