Raipur, 19 January 2022. Governor Ms. Anusuiya Uikey has signed the Bill introduced to amend the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertising and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. Now this bill will be sent for the assent of the President. Amendments have been made in sections 3, 4, 12, 13, 21 and 27 of this Act. Accordingly, by amending section 4, sections 4-A and 4-B have been added.
Section 4-A “Prohibition of hookah bars- Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, no person shall, himself or on behalf of any other person, open any hookah bar or operate a hookah bar or any Will not give hookah to customers at any place.
According to section 4-B, “Prohibition of smoking by means of hookah in hookah bar – No person shall smoke by means of hookah or nargil (gadgad) in any community hookah bar”. Section 13-A has been added.
Section 13-A “Power to confiscate in the case of hookah bars- If any police officer/excise officer, authorized by the State Government and not below the rank of a sub-inspector, has reason that the provisions of section 4-A have been contravened or is being contravened, he may confiscate any material or article used as the subject or instrument of a hookah bar.
New section 21-A and 21-B have been added by amending section 21 of the principal act.
According to section 21-A “punishment for operating hookah bar – Whoever contravenes the provisions of section 4-A, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, but which shall not be less than one year.” and shall be punishable with fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees but which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees.
Similarly, according to 21-B, “punishment for smoking by means of hookah in hookah bar- Whoever contravenes the provisions of section 4-B shall be punished with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, but which shall not be less than one thousand rupees.” By
amending section 27, new section 27-A has been added. Section 27-A says “offence under section 4-A to be cognizable and non-bailable—Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, offense committed under section 4-A shall be cognizable and non-bailable.”
