MUMBAI: Bombay High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Centre and State on a public interest litigation (PIL) that seeks cancer warning labels on all alcohol bottles.
Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Bharati Dangre passed the direction on the PIL by Yash Chilwar, a 24-year-old Pune resident, who urged that “a skip of cancer warning is adding to the danger, health risk, and detrimental factor in the consumption of alcohol,” states the PIL by Yash Chilwar.
The judges also granted leave to his advocate, Pooja Phagnekar, to amend the petition to add the State Public Health Department as a respondent.
According to Chilwar’s petition, the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified alcohol as a group I (highest risk) carcinogen, but this vital fact remains to be communicated. “However, alcoholic drinks are an invitation to cancer, which is a crucial fact, requiring a specific and bold mention on labelling, which is not the present existing scenario,” it added. It stated that when a consumer purchases a product, “it is his/her right to know about the contents and information in their pristine and entire form.”
The petition referred to a directive principle of the Constitution, which directs the State “to improve public health as among its primary duties and, in particular, the State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of intoxicating drinks and drugs which are injurious to health.” Besides, under the State list, state govts are given power to make laws on intoxicating liquors, including their production and sale.
The petition cited a WHO report, based on 2019 data, that highlighted 2.6 million annual deaths due to alcohol consumption. It stated that Ireland and South Korea “have already mandated warnings linking any level of alcohol consumption to cancer.” It referred to the US Surgeon General’s recent advisory that alcohol is the cause of at least seven types of cancers, including cancers of the breast, colorectum, liver, mouth, esophagus, throat, and larynx.
“Considering the significant health risk attributed by consumption of alcohol, cancer warning does not merely remain a label, but it is necessitated as need of the hour. Incorporation of cancer warning would help people who are unable to access this vital consequence of consumption of alcohol,” it stated.
The petition further stated that warning information through requisite labelling would reduce the ill-effects and overuse of alcohol consumption. “Several other dangerous products like cigarettes, tobacco have cancer warning labels on them,” it added. Chilwar also urged HC to direct the Centre to frame rules for effective implementation and to give a timeframe for completion and implementation of its direction.
