The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre and states on a PIL seeking to ban cigarettes and bidis in the country. The Court's notice is being seen as a major setback for smokers as well as people involved in tobacco trade.

There is already a ban on selling cigarettes and bidis near educational institutions and to those under the age of 18 years.

In India, smoking in public places were banned six years ago. However, violations have been easy to spot ever since. While smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide, tobacco kills more than six million people every year.