The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it is bringing new notification to regulate smoking scenes in films and television programmes.

The government told a bench headed by Justice P Sthsivam that it would bring the notification next week and it would override all earlier notifications issued by Union ministries of the Health and the Information & Broadcasting.

The court was hearing the Centre's 2009 appeal against the Delhi High Court order, which had quashed its earlier notification banning depiction of smoking scenes in films and television programmes. The apex court had earlier suspended the high court's order. The government had enacted the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Regulation Act in 2003 for ban on tobacco promotion and advertising of tobacco products. In 2005, the rules were made to combat smoking in films on the ground that surrogate advertising was done through films.