Come May 30, cigarette and tobacco makers have to flaunt the legislative pictorial warning on the packs of their products as the Centre promised to put into effect the rule making the provision obligatory in a month’s time.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium gave the word to a bench led by Justice B.N. Aggarwal after senior counsel Indira Jaisingh, appearing for NGO Health for Millions, alleged the Centre was dragging its feet on the subject.

Jaisingh charged the administration of crumpling under the force from the tobacco lobby.

When Jaisingh sounded off the Centre had thinned out the original warning signs on tobacco products, the bench said, “This way, the government wants to control the population.”

Jaisingh said that the administration at first planned to display images of a skull and bone along with a warning that tobacco products even kill a baby in mother’s womb.

But, using X-ray images of lungs on the label of tobacco products has diluted the caution, she claimed.

After hearing the Centre and Jaisingh, the court decided to take up latter’s request for a final clearance on April 30.