No Regulatory Exemption For Duty-Free Shops: Bombay HC Upholds Ban On Adani Group Firm's Sale Of Nicotine Pouches
Mumbai, Maharashtra: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday upheld the Drugs Control Department’s ban on imported nicotine pouches sold at the Mumbai airport’s duty-free shops by the Adani Group.
While declining to interfere with the Drugs Control Department’s decision to ban the sale of imported nicotine pouches, the court held that duty-free shops (DFS) operating at international departure terminals do not enjoy blanket immunity from domestic regulatory and public health statutes such as the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
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The court underlined that the exemption does not extend to the non-fiscal regulatory oversight, though such shops may be exempted from fiscal levies like customs duties and indirect taxes.
