SC bans production, sale and use of endsosulfan for 8 weeks
13 May 2011
The Supreme Court today issued an order banning the production, sale and use of the deadly pesticide endosulfan in the country for eight weeks.
Pronouncing the order, a three-judge bench of Chief Justice SH Kapadia, Justice KS Radhakrishnan and Justice Swatanter Kumar held that human lives are precious and other considerations are subservient to that.
The bench also ordered two separate studies on the pesticide's ill effects on humans, to be completed in eight weeks' time.
"Keeping in mind various judgments of this court under Article 21 of the Constitution and particularly keeping in mind the precautionary principle, we, hereby, direct and pass ad-interim order for immediate ban on production and use of endosulfan all over India," the SC said.
The SC order also directs the government and statutory authorities to freeze the licences granted to manufacturers of the controversial pesticide till further orders.
Two committees, one headed by the director-general of the Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR) and the other by the agricultural commissioner, will undertake separate studies on the pesticide's ill effects on human life and the environment.