Court orders implementation of bigger warnings rule

An Indian court has directed the federal government to implement a regulation requiring bigger health warnings on tobacco packaging, according to a Reuters story.

The measure had been put on hold pending a report from a parliamentary panel.

The government last year decided that 85 percent of a tobacco pack’s surface should be covered in warnings, up from about 20 percent now.

But in March the government deferred implementation of the regulation because a parliamentary panel said it was still reviewing how the industry would be impacted by the requirement for bigger health warnings.

A court order, issued by the High Court of Rajasthan state last week and seen by Reuters on Friday, has directed the federal government to implement the new regulations.

The government has four weeks to reply.