Arundhati Roy’s new book Mother Mary Comes to Me has ignited controversy — not for its words, but its cover. A PIL claims her lit cigarette glamorises smoking and violates India’s tobacco laws. Now, the Kerala High Court has asked the Centre to weigh in. - video Dailymotion

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Arundhati Roy’s new book Mother Mary Comes to Me has ignited controversy — not for its words, but its cover

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00:00Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy's new book cover is smoking hot, literally because she's

00:07holding a lit cigarette and now the Kerala High Court wants to know why it shows her

00:10smoking without a warning label.

00:15The PIL filed by coachee lawyer Raja Siman claims the cover of Mother Mary Comes to Me

00:19sends a dangerous message to young women and girls.

00:22It argues that the image glamorizes smoking, equating it with intellectual creativity.

00:26The law says this could violate the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003, which bans

00:31advertisements of tobacco, requires health warnings and controls promotion.

00:35The petition argues the missing warning on Roy's cover is itself an indirect advertisement

00:40of tobacco use.

00:41However, books aren't clearly covered under some parts of the law.

00:44Is there any mechanism to ensure book cover follow these rules?

00:47The court led by Justice Nitin Jamder and Justice Prasant Balaji has asked the centre to respond.

00:51They have listed the case for the next hearing on September 25, 2025.

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Arundhati Roy’s new book Mother Mary Comes to Me has ignited controversy — not for its words, but its cover. A PIL claims her lit cigarette glamorises smoking and violates India’s tobacco laws. Now, the Kerala High Court has asked the Centre to weigh in.

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