The Ceylon Tobacco Company announced that it will continue to produce and supply cigarettes to the market as usual without any changes to its current packaging despite a Bill calling for pictorial health warnings on the packs being passed in parliament.
The Bill on covering 80% of a cigarette packet with a pictorial warning of oral cancer was passed unanimously in parliament on February 19.
However, the Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) PLC informed the Stock Exchange that it will continue to sell its cigarette packs with the current packaging after it challenged the regulations in the Court of Appeal.
An official statement by the CTC read that the Appeals Court has reserved its judgement for May 12 while the implementation of the regulations has been stayed pursuant of an interim order issued by the Supreme Court on September 20, 2013.
The CTC confirmed that the interim order will remain in force and approval of the regulations will not prevent the Court of Appeal determining the validity of the regulations on legal arguments. The statement added that the CTC will not be required to comply with the regulations until a decision is taken by the Court.
The statement also claimed that according to the National Authority of Tobacco and Alcohol Act, the Minister is required to table any regulations he makes under the Act before parliament 30 days from publication in Gazette as a procedural step.
