Queency Jain –
Hearing a plea to decide the severity of Covid-19 amongst smokers, a Division Bench of Bombay High Court has allowed 2 interim applications filed by Mumbai Bidi Tambbakhu Vyapari Sangh (MBTVS) and the Federation of Retailers Association of India (FRAI) to intervene in the proceedings.
While Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni submitted that the State has not yet taken any steps in regards to smoking and it is only fear of ban that the MBTVS has filed an interim application citing the research studies and media reports that claimed nicotine to be a potential preventive of Covid-19 infection.
FRAI, in their application, requested the Court to rely upon the report of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) which clearly says that smoking has little or no effects on Covid-19 patients.
Though the Court questioned the qualification of CSIR officials, it was submitted that the council includes qualified doctors and also the same studies are supported in various other countries like the US, France, China, Italy, etc.
In conclusion, the Court allowed the interim applications with no costs thereby listing the matter for further hearing on 30 June.
