Pressure to enforce smoking ban

The High Court in Bangladesh has issued a ruling asking why it should not order the government to take the necessary steps to ban tobacco smoking in public places, in line with the existing law, according to a bdnews24.com story.

Justice Kamrul Islam Siddiqui and Razik Al Jalil’s bench announced the ruling following a writ by Lawyer Shammi Akter yesterday.

The government passed the Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act, 2005, which bans smoking in certain public places.

The ruling asked why steps should not be taken to implement two sections of the act. And it asked why the court should not order that the necessary steps are taken to enforce the ban.

The government bodies, named as respondents, were asked to reply within four weeks.