SC Directs Centre To Submit Report On Steps Taken To Regulate Ban On Hazardous Pesticides

The Supreme Court yesterday directed the Centre to submit a report on the steps taken to regulate the ban on hazardous pesticides.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice V Ramasubramanian, and Justice J B Pardiwala asked Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Vikramjit Banerjee to place on record a note.

"The ASG shall file an updated status report in respect of regulatory measures which have been taken by the Union of India for regulating ban on hazardous pesticides," the bench said.

The Apex Court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking a ban on nearly 85 pesticides on grounds that they pose a health hazard.

The pleas filed in 2017 had sought empowering of state governments to take decisions at their level for prohibition and restriction related to pesticides.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, had said these pesticides have been banned in other countries but in India they are being allowed to be used and they could pose serious health hazards to farmers.

The petition filed by Kavita Kuruganti said deadly pesticides are still used at a time when there is much evidence of the success of ecological agriculture practices such as organic farming in terms of profitability for farmers as well as productivity of the crops.

With PTI Inputs