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Bombay High Court Orders Govt. Response on Cancer Warnings for Alcohol

Bombay High Court Orders Govt. Response on Cancer Warnings for Alcohol

Report

On Thursday, the Bombay High Court directed the central and Maharashtra state governments, along with the FSSAI, to respond to a PIL calling for cancer warning labels on alcohol bottles. The PIL was filed by 24-year-old Yash Chilwar from Pune. He argued that the lack of cancer warnings increased health risks. Chilwar, represented by advocate Pooja Phagnekar, emphasized that consumers had the right to know the dangers of the products they bought, including alcohol.

WHO Report and Global Precedents

The petition cited a June 25, 2024 report from the WHO and Pan American Health Organization, which stated that alcohol use caused over 3 million deaths annually. It also highlighted the WHO’s classification of alcohol as a Class I carcinogen, a key fact that was missing from alcohol containers. Chilwar pointed to countries like Ireland and South Korea, where alcohol bottles carried cancer risk warnings. He also referenced the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory, which linked alcohol to at least seven types of cancer. Given these risks, Chilwar insisted that alcohol bottles should include similar warnings.

Constitutional and Public Health Arguments

Chilwar also referred to Article 47 of the Indian Constitution, which called for the state to work towards prohibiting harmful intoxicants. He argued that cancer warnings on alcohol bottles were not just labels, but necessary public health measures. He believed that greater awareness of alcohol’s health risks could reduce consumption and improve public health. Drawing a parallel with tobacco products, which carried cancer warnings, the petition called for alcohol bottles to feature similar risk labels. Chilwar argued that such warnings would help mitigate the harmful effects of alcohol overuse.

Request for Timely Implementation

The PIL urged the Centre to introduce regulations that would mandate cancer warnings on alcohol bottles and ensure their prompt implementation. A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Bharati H. Dangre issued notices to the concerned authorities, asking them to respond at the next hearing.

Source: The Indian Express 

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