Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy is facing a legal challenge in the Kerala High Court over the cover of her new book, Mother Mary Come to Me, which shows her smoking a cigarette without a statutory health warning.
A public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Kochi-based lawyer Rajasimhan seeks a ban on the sale, circulation, and display of the book, claiming the cover image promotes smoking in a ‘glorified’ manner. The petitioner argued that Roy’s global stature as a public intellectual gives her actions a strong influence on youth, teenage girls, and women, potentially sending a harmful societal message.
On September 18, a division bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji directed the Union government to inform whether there is any agency that regulates such issues and posted the case for further hearing on September 25.
The PIL alleges that the cover infringes the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA), which bans direct and indirect promotion of cigarettes and tobacco products without required health warnings.
Mother Mary Come to Me is Arundhati Roy’s first memoir, where she chronicles her path to becoming an author and the deep impact of her mother, to whom she refers as “my shelter and my storm.” The petitioner argues that the book cover, as it stands, indirectly promotes smoking and tobacco products and begs the court to recall all copies in circulation until a decision is made.
This case is raising issues of artistic freedom versus public health and has already initiated controversy regarding the roles of public figures in shaping social behaviour.
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
