Gutkha ban merely an eyewash, no firm step taken to enforce it: Jharkhand HC

Ranchi: The Jharkhand high court pulled up the state government for failing to file an affidavit in response to a PIL concerning the sale of gutkha in the state. A division bench of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad while hearing the petition ordered the food safety department secretary to appear virtually on the next date of hearing.
The PIL has been filed by the Fariyad Foundation seeking implementation of the ban on sale of gutkha in Jharkhand. The petitioner organisation told the court that though the ban has been imposed, it was being temporarily withdrawn from time to time and there is no strict check on the sale of the product.
The bench while hearing the case observed that there was no check on the sale of gutkha in the state. It was freely available in the capital and there was no gutkha-free zone in the city, the judges said. The government has merely imposed a ban but has done nothing to implement it in letter and spirit, the bench observed.
The court was informed that the ban on the sale of gutkha in the state has been imposed since 2017 and has been extended at intervals. The ban is now effective till 2021.
The transport of gutkha needs to be checked. If there will be no transport, people will not be able to buy it. The supply chain needs to be crippled first for implementing the ban, the judges said.
Strict action ought to be taken against the officers who were given the responsibility to prevent gutkha from being sold. The suppliers need to be identified and action on them will ensure that the ban is enforced, the court said.