Mon Oct 13 08:21:07 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:

**Kerala High Court Dismisses PIL Against Arundhati Roy’s New Book Over Smoking Depiction**

**KOCHI, October 13, 2025** – The Kerala High Court today dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on the sale of Arundhati Roy’s latest book, “Mother Mary Comes To Me,” due to its cover photo featuring the author smoking a beedi. The PIL, filed on September 18th by a lawyer, alleged a violation of Section 5 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2013, claiming the book lacked a prominent health warning about the dangers of smoking.

However, the court learned that the book did contain a disclaimer regarding the ill effects of smoking on the back cover.

A Division Bench, led by Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji, ruled that the steering committee established under the Act is the appropriate body to determine whether the book infringes upon Section 5, after hearing all relevant parties. The court noted that the petitioner, aware of the committee’s existence, had failed to pursue the matter through that avenue before filing the PIL.

The bench criticized the petitioner for filing the PIL without fully examining the legal provisions or verifying the presence of a disclaimer. The court cautioned against the use of PILs for self-promotion or personal attacks.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the disclaimer’s placement on the back cover was insufficient and that the cover photo, lacking a warning, could negatively influence young people, particularly women.

The Centre’s counsel countered that complaints could be registered through an online portal established under the national tobacco control program. These options ought to have been tried out, rather than directly approach the High Court in the guise of a PIL.

The Kerala High Court has dismissed the petition.

Read More