Concerns raised over potential glorification of smoking among youth through book cover imagery.
The Kerala High Court has been approached regarding a plea to ban author Arundhati Roy’s book, “Mother Mary Comes to Me,” due to its cover image depicting her smoking a cigarette without the required health warning. This public interest litigation, as reported by Bar and Bench, raises significant concerns about the implications of such imagery on public perception, particularly among younger audiences.
The petitioner argues that the portrayal of Roy smoking not only glorifies the act but also positions it as a symbol of intellectual and creative expression. This representation, according to the plea, could mislead youth into viewing smoking as fashionable. The book was released on August 28, and the timing of this plea highlights the ongoing scrutiny surrounding tobacco representations in media.
Furthermore, the petition asserts that the cover of the book violates the provisions of the 2003 Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution Act, along with the associated rules established in 2008. These regulations mandate that health warnings, such as “smoking is injurious to health” or “tobacco causes cancer,” be included on all materials depicting smoking. The absence of such warnings on the book cover is claimed to amount to an indirect advertisement for tobacco products.
While the petitioner has made it clear that they are not challenging the actual contents of Roy’s book, their focus is solely on the cover design and its implications. The plea requests the court to issue directives that would prevent Roy and the publisher from continuing to sell the book with the current cover image. Additionally, it seeks to involve the Union health ministry, the Press Council of India, and the state government in ensuring adherence to the regulations set out in the 2003 Act.
The petition further calls for the republication of the book with a new cover that includes the necessary health warnings. The matter has caught the attention of the Kerala High Court, with a division bench consisting of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji scheduled to hear the case next on September 25. This case underscores the ongoing debate around media representations of smoking and the responsibility of authors and publishers in adhering to health regulations.
