India moves to stub out tobacco with Roman law doctrine

New Delhi

THE Indian government is pushing the Supreme Court to apply a rarely used doctrine that would strip the US$11 billion tobacco industry's legal right to trade, an effort aimed at deterring tobacco companies from challenging tough new regulations.

New Delhi has for the first time asked the top court to classify tobacco as "res extra commercium", a Latin phrase meaning "outside commerce", according to a Reuters review of previously unreported court filing by the Health Ministry on Jan 8.