The High Court has issued a rule asking as to why the actors should not be instructed to stop smoking and use of tobacco products while performing a in play or movie.
The High Court also asked as to why the inactivity of the authorities concerned in banning the use and display of smoking scene and tobacco products in the movie and drama should not be declared illegal as per the law.
The virtual HC bench of Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Rajik Al Jalil issued the rule following a writ petition.
Moniruzzaman Lincoln, a lawyer of the Supreme Court, filed the writ petition with the High Court on February 3, seeking the higher court’s directive to stop the use of smoking scene and tobacco products in the movies and drama as per the Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act.
The lawyer filed the writ petition on behalf of the Bangladesh Cancer Society, anti-drug organisation ‘Prattashya’ and Population Development Organisation (PDO).
Moniruzzaman Lincoln stood for the writ petition in the court, while Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy represented the state.
Secretaries of the Health and Family Planning Division, Law Ministry, Home Ministry and Information and Broadcasting Ministry, and chairman of the Bangladesh Film Censor Board were made respondents to the rule. They were asked to respond within the next four weeks.
Earlier, Moniruzzaman Lincoln sent a legal notice to the authorities concerned in this regard. After failing to receive any response, he filed the writ petition.
Anti-tobacco activists alleged that the tobacco control law is still now being violated largely in many films and dramas. Smoking scenes are displayed in many of the films, telefilms and dramas which have been released recently.
Talking to the Bangladesh Post, Syed Saiful Alam Shovan of WBB Trust and Farhana Zaman Liza of Tobacco Control and Research Cell of DIU said that the use of smoking scene in movies and dramas is not acceptable. The smoking scene encourages many viewers towards tobacco.
Expressing happiness over the High Court rule, the anti-tobacco activists said that the tobacco control law is being violated in drama more than movie as any movie won’t be released without censor certificate, but the drama has no such condition. They called upon the authorities concerned to bring the drama under the Censor Board.