Overview
- A division bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji dismissed the petition on October 13.
- The judges held that any dispute over Section 5 of COTPA should be decided by the Steering Committee after hearing all parties.
- The court noted Penguin Random House India had included a smoking disclaimer on the back cover, which the petitioner had not verified.
- It cautioned against using public interest litigation for self‑publicity or personal slander and declined to halt sales of the book.
- Counsel were directed to statutory remedies, including the Steering Committee and the National Tobacco Control Programme portal, with a detailed order awaited.