Delhi HC rejects plea seeking ‘health warning’ label on liquor bottles

Remarking that such warnings cannot be put in place on the wishes of an individual, a bench of chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Subramonium Prasad said the statute is set and everyone has to follow the same.

Refusing to entertain a plea that sought directions to the Delhi government to increase the font size of the ”health warnings” on liquor bottles and packages, to make them on par with those on cigarette packets and tobacco products, the Delhi high court said all liquor bottles already carry “health warnings”, as specified by the excise rules.

Delhi HC rejects plea seeking ‘health warning’ label on liquor bottles. (HT FIle)

Remarking that such warnings cannot be put in place on the wishes of an individual, a bench of chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Subramonium Prasad said the statute is set and everyone has to follow the same.

“What your prayer is, is already in the excise rules. I have gone through the excise rules and I am told that every (liquor) bottle has this warning. All the specifications are provided under the (excise) rules. The statute is there and everyone has to follow it. It is not that I feel it should be in bold letters so it should be like that,” the bench said.

The observations come while hearing a PIL by advocate and BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay seeking direction to the Delhi government to control the production, distribution and consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs, which are injurious to health, in order to secure right to health as guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution.

The petitioner submitted that statutory warning written on liquor bottles is in a small font and it should be similar to the size of warning on cigarette packets.

However, the court said the specifications are provided under the excise rules and it has to be according to that only. Delhi government standing counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi submitted before the bench that the warning was already there on every liquor bottle and the present PIL was filed without due research or study.

As the bench was not inclined to entertain the plea, the petitioner sought to withdraw the PIL with a liberty to file a fresh one highlighting certain new issues.

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