Officials said similar drives will be conducted on the premises of other courts in Pune.In a crackdown on consumption and possession of tobacco and tobacco products on the premises of the District and Sessions Court in Pune, the police have taken action against around 1,000 persons over the past week.
Staff deployed for security at the court premises started the drive after a group of lawyers wrote to the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court and the Principal District Judge, Pune, and directions were subsequently issued in this regard.
Inspector Prabhakar Dhage, in charge of court security at District and Sessions Court, said, “Our staff in uniform and in plainclothes is conducting random checking on people visiting the premises. If people are seen consuming tobacco or tobacco products like gutkha, we confiscate the substance and issue a warning. If people are seen spitting, a fine of Rs 2,000 is charged. Till now, we have taken action against at least a thousand people over the last week. The drive will continue in the coming days.”
Officials said that similar drives will also be conducted on the premises of other courts in Pune.
