The Karnataka authorities on Friday formally notified a sweeping modification to the Cigarettes and Different Tobacco Merchandise Act (COTPA), 2003, with stricter measures geared toward curbing tobacco use throughout the state.
The COTPA (Karnataka Modification) Act, 2024, obtained presidential assent on Might 23 and was printed within the state gazette on Might 30.
Among the many key adjustments, the authorized age to buy cigarettes and different tobacco merchandise in Karnataka has been raised from 18 to 21 years. Moreover, the sale of tobacco merchandise inside 100 metres of any academic establishment has been prohibited, and the sale of unfastened cigarettes or single sticks is not allowed.
In a big transfer to discourage different tobacco consumption, the modification additionally bans hookah bars throughout the state. The brand new Part 4A launched below the Act prohibits the operation of hookah bars in any premises, together with eating places, pubs, or cafes. Violators working hookah bars will face imprisonment of 1 to 3 years, together with fines starting from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh, below the newly added Part 21A.
The definition of “use” of tobacco in public locations has additionally been expanded to incorporate each smoking and spitting, with a continued allowance for designated smoking areas in inns with over 30 rooms, eating places with seating for greater than 30 folks, and airports. Additionally, penalties for violating tobacco use guidelines in public locations have been elevated. Fines below sections 21, 24, and 28 of the Act have been raised from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000.
The Karnataka authorities has acknowledged that the modification is a part of a broader effort to strengthen public well being safeguards, notably for youthful populations and in delicate areas like faculties and faculties.
In reality, regardless of a authorities order banning hookah bars in 2024, many hookah cafes had been nonetheless illegally working in suburban areas of Bengaluru. The Central Crime Department has since recognized and raided 20 such institutions, seizing hookah pots and flavours price over Rs 12 lakh.
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The Karnataka Excessive Court docket’s April 2024 ruling additionally dismissed challenges from restaurant homeowners, affirming the ban’s legality below Article 47 of the Structure, which mandates states to guard public well being. The court docket famous that hookah bars, even these providing ‘natural hookah’, violate rules because of the presence of dangerous substances like nicotine and molasses.