BTI British American Tobacco PLC

   By Preetika Rana 
 

NEW DELHI--India's Supreme Court Wednesday directed tobacco companies to comply with new rules requiring larger and more graphic health warnings on cigarette packs.

The direction comes a month after Indian cigarette-makers halted production over government rules that require pictorial health warnings to cover 85% of the front as well as back of a pack. Previously, only 40% of the front needed to be covered.

Tobacco companies "should not violate the regulation in any manner," Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghost said.

The tobacco industry had objected to the stricter rules, which came into force last month, and filed more than two dozen cases in courts challenging their legality.

To avoid separate and conflicting judgements, the country's top court Wednesday also ordered the transfer of all the lawsuits to the Karnataka High Court, where most of the cases are being heard.

Write to Preetika Rana at preetika.rana@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 04, 2016 03:48 ET (07:48 GMT)

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