Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 24 (ANI): Vivek Johri, the Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) on Friday said that the cash recovery of approximately Rs 150 crores from searches in Kanpur at several locations related to Trimurti Fragrance is the "biggest haul ever". The teams of CBIC are currently at various premises of businessman Piyush Jain counting cash.

New Delhi Dec 17 PTI In a relief to a pan masala company a Delhi court has stayed a notice sent to it by the Directorate General of Health Services DGHS for allegedly indulging in surrogate or indirect advertisement of tobacco products in violation of the law While allowing the company to carry out its advertisement campaign Additional Sessions Judge Rajinder Singh said that even though the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products COTPA Act prohibits display advertisement and sale of tobacco products there is no specific prohibition regarding surrogate advertising The judge said that the sale of gutka is banned and in such circumstances there is no reason for the company to indulge in a surrogate advertisement for the promotion of a product which it cannot sell in the countryThe DGHS claimed that in 2005 rules were laid down to ban the advertisement of tobacco products but the company carried out a surrogate ad campaign whereby the product Dilbagh Pan Masala was advertised to promote tobacco products under the brand name Dilbagh The directorate had issued a notice to the company on April 25 2018 saying that it had put up a hoarding containing the indirect advertisement as brand promotion of tobacco products at Delhis Dabri Flyover in 2018 to attract youngsters to trap them in tobacco habit which is in violation of the COTP Act The health department said that Dilbagh is a registered trademark for various tobacco products This trademark is also registered for chewing tobacco zarda etc it stated adding that the brand name of a tobacco product cannot be used for other products The company engaged in the business of selling pan masala of the brand name Dilbagh however said that the advertisement is not in violation of any law It claimed that their pan masala is 100 percent tobacco-free and that only pan masala having tobacco is covered by the COTP Act It also sought damages to the tune of Rs 500000The judge while granting interim relief to the pan masala company said the DGHS nowhere claimed that Dilbagh pan masala contained any tobacco nicotine or any other banned substance It can be summarised that the product in question is not alleged to be containing any tobacco or other banned substance The sale of gutka is banned throughout the country There is no reason or occasion for the plaintiff to advertise its tobacco products through indirect advertisement Accordingly the plaintiff has a prima facie case he said The judge ordered The impugned notice dated April 25 2018 under Section 5 of the COTPA Act is stayed till the final disposal of the suit The plaintiff can carry out its advertisement campaign with regard to the product in question till the final disposal of the suit He said that if the advertisement for the product in question is stopped during the pendency of this suit it will cause a loss of revenue as well as goodwill which will be irreparable PTI AAK ANB ANB