Smokers Beware!

Smokers (Like me) beware! Hotels, restaurants, pubs, offices and even the international airport would be out of bounds to light up the rolled tobacco from Thursday with the ban on smoking in public places coming into effect.
The ban, the implementation of which is effective from Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, will cover even hookah bars and pubs as well as private offices and public places like bus stops.
Union Health Ministry issued a notification for the ban under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution), Act 2003.
The notification, which was brought out on May 30, was challenged in many high courts by the ITC as well the Hotel Association of India following which the Health Ministry approached the Supreme Court submitting before it to hear all the cases at one time.The Supreme Court today refused to stay the Central government's notification to impose a ban on smoking in public places from October 2.A bench headed by Justice B N Agarwal, while refusing to stay the notification dated May 30, 2008, also transferred the four petitions, including one each filed by the ITC and the Indian Hotels Association, against it in the Delhi High Court."We are of the view that it is not a fit case for grant of interim relief. The prayer staying implementation of prohibition of smoking in public places is rejected...Let transfer cases be heard on November 18," the bench said.