Courts in Two South Asian Countries Have Halted The E-cigarette Ban And Rejected The Government's Attempt To Enforce It Forcefully.

【vaping360 News, July 8th report】After India completely banned e-cigarettes in 2019, its neighboring countries Nepal and Punjab Province of Pakistan have also attempted to implement similar bans, all citing the reason of "protecting the health of teenagers". However, both courts in these two regions ruled that the government has no right to ban the sale of e-cigarettes, clearly stating that the ban lacks legal basis.
【Nepal】There is disagreement within the country. The court ruled to lift the ban although the National Health Education Information Dissemination Center under the Nepal Ministry of Health and Population had announced the prohibition of the import, sale and promotion of e-cigarettes based on the 2015 "Tobacco Products Control and Regulation Directive", but the government itself has differences on whether e-cigarettes are illegal.
A government spokesperson publicly stated in 2022 that Nepal's current laws do not explicitly prohibit e-cigarettes, and the government continues to collect relevant taxes and allows product imports.
Subsequently, customs began to seize e-cigarette products, triggering a lawsuit by Vape Mandu Traders. The Patan High Court of Nepal ultimately ruled to lift the ban, but did not clearly state the basis of the judgment, and the government's subsequent response remains unclear.
【Punjab Province of Pakistan】Court: No legislation, no enforcement Punjab is the most populous province in Pakistan, accounting for more than half of the country's 240 million population. In early June, Governor Maryam Nawaz ordered a complete ban on e-cigarettes, including personal use, sales, advertising and store operations.
She claimed that this move "protects teenagers from long-term health risks", but did not impose restrictions on traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes.
Over 70 e-cigarette merchants then filed a lawsuit with the Lahore High Court. On June 24th, the court issued a temporary order allowing stores to resume operations, and held a formal hearing on July 3rd.
At the hearing, the court again ruled that the government lost the case, clearly stating: "Before there is a legislative basis, no action can be taken against e-cigarette practitioners." The judge pointed out that even if the government plans to legislate, it cannot enforce before the law is passed. And emphasized that the government has already collected tariffs on e-cigarette products, proving their legal circulation status.