PIL for ban on tobacco firms to fund parties withdrawn

Chandigarh, Sep 20 (UNI) The Punjab and Haryana High Court today said it could not impose ban on the donations to the political parties by the tobacco companies.

''The high court could not issue such directions under Article 226 of the Constitution,'' the court's division bench comrpising acting Chief Justice Harjit Singh Bedi and Justice Rannit Singh ruled while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a ban for the same.

The petitioner advocate H C Arora basing his PIL on the report carried by a national daily, called for directions in this regard to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, Union Law Ministry as also to the Election Commission.

Reproducing facts and figures from the news reports, the petitioner contended that India Tobacco Company (ITC) had donated huge amounts towards funds of the political parties during the financial year ending March 31, 2005.

It was argued that according to official statistics, the consumption of tobacco was responsible for cancer of lungs, prostrate and bladder which together accounted for 19.3 per cent of cancer patients in the country, resulting in eight lakh deaths each year.

The PIL also pointed out that the resolve of the Centre to fight tobacco consumption was evident from the ban imposed on smoking in public and in scenes of smoking in films. However, the acceptance of donations from tobacco companies by the political parties weakened the collective will of the political system to fight the menace of tobacco consumption, the PIL submitted.

When the bench asked the petitioner to explain the rationale behind imposing a ban against only certain class of companies, he submitted that because of the health hazards from tobacco, such companies stood on a different footing altogether. When it was brought to the notice of the bench that the PMK headed by Union Health minister Anbumani Ramadoss did not accept donations from ITC, the bench observed that it was for a particular party to accept or not to accept such a donation.

At this stage, the petitioner sought the permission to withdraw the petition to enable him to make a representation to the respondents, which was accepted.

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