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The Goa Prohibition of Smoking and Spitting Act, 1997

Goa · state statute
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GOVERNMENT OF GOA
Department of Law & Judiciary
Legal Affairs Division
______
Notification
7-21-97/LA
The Goa Prohibition of Smoking and Spitting Act, 1997 (Goa Act 5 of 1999), which has been
passed by the Legislative Assembly of Goa on 31-7-1997 and assented to by the President of
India on 18-8-1999, is hereby published for general information of the Public.
P. V. Kadnekar, Joint Secretary (Law).
Panaji, 27th August, 1999.
______
The Goa Prohibition of Smoking and Spitting Act, 1997
(Goa Act No. 5 of 1999)   [18-8-1999] 
AN
ACT
to provide for prohibiting use of tobacco in any form and spitting in places of public work or
use and in public service vehicles in the State of Goa and to make provision for other
matters connected therewith.
Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa in the Forty-eighthYear of the
Republic of India as follows:-
1. Short title, extent and commencement.— (1) This Act may be called the Goa Prohibition
of Smoking and Spitting Act, 1997.
(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Goa.
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.— In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a)  “advertisement”  means  and  includes  any  notice,  circular,  wall  paper,  pamphlets,
display on hoardings or any visible representation made by means of any light, sound, smoke,
gas,  writing instruments,  stickers,  symbol,  colours,  logo,  trade  mark/symbol,  display  on
articles like T-shirts, shoes, sportswear, sport gears, caps, carry bags, telephone booths, etc.,
or any other means which has direct or indirect effect of promoting smoking and or tobacco
chewing and the expression ‘advertise’ shall be construed accordingly;
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(b) “authorised officer” means a person authorised under section 4 of this Act;
(c) “chewing” means chewing of tobacco, gul (tobacco), use of tobacco paste, supari with
tobacco, pan masala, zarda, ghutka and the like;
(d) “Goa” means the State of Goa; 
(e) “Official Gazette” means the Goa Government Gazette;
(f) “place of public work or use” means a place declared as such under section 3 of this
Act,  and  includes  auditoria,  cinema/conference/seminar  halls,  hospital  buildings,  health
institutions,  amusement  centres,  restaurants,  eating  houses,  hotel  lounges,  other  waiting
lounges, public offices, court buildings, educational institutions, libraries, bus stations/stands,
ferry boats, places of worship, beaches, sports stadia and the like which are visited by the
general public but does not include other open places;
(g) “public service vehicle” means a vehicle as defined under clause (35) of section 2 of
the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (Central Act 59 of 1988);
(h) “smoking” means smoking of tobacco in any form, whether in the form of cigarette,
cigar, beedies or otherwise with the aid of pipe, wrapper, or any other instruments;
(i) “spitting” means voluntary ejection of saliva from the mouth after chewing or without
chewing and ejection of mucus from the nose after inhaling snuff or without inhaling.
3.  Declaration  of  places  of  public  work  or  use. — As  soon  as  may  be  after  the
commencement  of  this  Act  and  thereafter  from  time  to  time,  the  Government  may,  by
notification in the Official Gazette, declare any place to be a place of public work or use in Goa
for the purposes of this Act.
4.  Power  of  Government  to  authorise  officers  to  act  under  this  Act. — (1)  The
Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, authorise one or more persons who
shall be competent to act under this Act.
(2) Every person authorised under sub-section (1) shall be deemed to be a public servant
within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (45 of 1860).
5. Prohibition of smoking and spitting in places of public work or use. — No person shall
smoke or spit in any place of public work or use.
6. Prohibition of smoking and spitting in public service vehicles. — Without prejudice to
the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (Central Act 59 of 1988), no person shall smoke
or spit while travelling in or using a public service vehicle.
7.  Prohibition of advertisement of smoking and chewing. —  Notwithstanding anything
contained in any other law for the time being in force, no person shall advertise or cause to
advertise in any place and on any public service vehicle any material which may directly or
indirectly  promote  smoking  or  chewing  of  tobacco  or  any  tobacco  product  or  products
containing tobacco even if classified by any other name.
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8.  Prohibition of  sale  of  cigarettes,  etc.  to  minors.— No  person shall  sell  cigarettes,
beedies, chewing tobacco, gul (tobacco), tobacco paste, including tobacco based tooth paste,
supari with tobacco, pan masala, zarda, snuff, ghutka or any other such smoking and/or chewing
substance containing nicotine and/or tobacco to any person who is below the age of twenty one
years.
9. Prohibition of storage and sale and distribution of cigarettes, etc. — No person shall
himself or by any person on his behalf, store, sell or distribute cigarettes, beedies, chewing
tobacco, gul (tobacco), tobacco paste, supari with tobacco, pan-masala, zarda, snuff, ghutka or
any other such smoking substance or substances containing tobacco within an area of 100
metres around place of worship or any college, school or other educational institutions.
1[Provided that the Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify the
tobacco products and words/localities within the limits of municipal councils, for which, the
aforesaid prohibition shall not apply.].
10.  Display and exhibition of board. — The owner or manager or incharge of affairs of
every place of public work or use shall display and exhibit a board at a conspicuous place or
places in and outside the premises visited or used by the general public prominently stating that
the place is a “No Smoking and No Spitting Zone” and that "Smoking/Spitting is an Offence”.
11. Any person who contravenes the provisions of. — (1) Sections 5, 6, 9 or 10 shall be
punishable  with fine  which may extend to one  thousand rupees  and in case  of  second or
subsequent offence, shall be punishable with a minimum fine of two thousand rupees, but which
may extend to five thousand rupees.
(2) Sections 7 and 8 shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees
and in case of second or subsequent offence, shall be punishable with imprisonment which may
extend to three months, or with a minimum fine of five thousand rupees which may extend to
ten thousand rupees, or with both.
12. Power to eject violators. — Any authorised officer or any police officer, not below the
rank of a sub-inspector, may eject any person who contravenes any provisions of this Act, from
the place of public work or use, and any driver/conductor of a public service vehicle may eject
any person who contravenes any provisions of this Act in the public service vehicles, from the
public service vehicle.
13. Court competent to take cognizance, and try offences. — (1) No court other than the
Court of a Judicial Magistrate First Class shall take cognizance of, and try an offence under this
Act.
(2) No court shall take cognizance of any offence except on a complaint in writing of an
authorised officer or an authorised representative of a recognised non-Government organisation
devoted to the cause of controlling tobacco use/spitting with respect to offences under sections
5,  6  and  9  and  on  a  report  in  writing  of  a  police  officer  not  
below  the  rank  of  sub-inspector,  or  an  authorised  representative  of  a  recognised  
non-Government  organisation devoted to the cause  of controlling tobacco use/spitting with
respect to the offences under sections 7, 8, 9 and 10.
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14. Certain offences to be cognizable and bailable. — Notwithstanding anything contained
in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974), offences under sections 5, 6,
7, 8, and 9 of this Act shall be cognizable and bailable.
15. Summary trial of offences.— All offences under this Act shall be tried summarily in the
manner provided for summary trial under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2
of 1974).
16.  Power to delegate. — The Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette,
direct that any power exercisable by it under this Act, may also be exercised by such officer and
subject to such conditions, if any, as may be specified therein.
17.  Composition of offences. — (1) The Government may, by notification in the Official
Gazette,  empower  the  authorised  Officer  or  a  police  officer  not  below  the  rank  of  
sub-inspector to compound any offence committed under this Act on payment of a sum not less
than 2[rupees one hundred which may extend upto rupees five hundred] by way of composition
for the offence which such person is suspected to have committed.
(2) On payment of such sum to such Officer, the offender if in custody, shall be released and
no further proceedings shall be taken against such offender.
Secretariat Annexe,
Panaji,
Dated, 27th August, 1999.
B. S. SUBBANNA,
Secretary to the Government of Goa,
Law Department (Legal Affairs)
__________________________________________________________________________
 Inserted by the Amendment Act 44 of 2001.2 Substituted in place of words “Rupees one thousand which may extend upto rupees five thousand” by the Amendment Act 27 of 
2000.

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