Government notification permitting smoking scenes in films soon

New Delhi: The government Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it would shortly issue a notification to permit smoking scenes in films with a scroll carrying statutory warning that smoking is injurious to health.

The apex court bench of Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi was told that the new notification would mandate that the films showing smoking scene run a scroll that smoking was injurious right at the start of the film, soon after the interval and during the course of the scene showing smoking. Senior counsel V. Shekhar, appearing for the government, told the court that the notification superseding all earlier notifications prohibiting smoking scenes would be issued Sep 14. While adjourning the hearing of the matter, the apex court declined to entertain a plea by a counsel seeking exemption for the release of the film, "Heroine", which has scenes of women puffing cigarettes. The notification will pave the way for amending rules that currently restrain filmmakers from showing smoking scenes. IANS