India’s smoking ban challenged

A New Delhi court Friday asked India’s federal government to respond within a month to a petition from a top Bollywood filmmaker challenging a ban on smoking on the screen.

The government issued an ordinance in May banning smoking from all new Indian movies and television broadcasts after Aug. 1. That deadline has since been extended to Jan. 1, 2006.

Producer-director Mahesh Bhatt filed a petition Sept. 26 in the Delhi High Court calling the ban a violation of the freedoms of speech and expression guaranteed by India’s 1950 constitution.

As well as an absolute ban on smoking in new productions, older films and programs must display a health warning when a person who is smoking appears on the screen, the government said.

Authorities believe the ban will curb smoking. The World Health Organization says tobacco claims 5 million lives a year. According to government statistics, more than 800,000 Indians die each year from smoking-related illness.

From Associated Press