The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has granted the prime minister’s office (PMO) and the Uttar Pradesh government an additional opportunity to submit a response and an action taken report (ATR) on a petition seeking a ban on ‘Chinese manjha’—the hazardous glass-coated kite string.
A division bench, comprising chief justice Arun Bhansali and justice Jaspreet Singh, issued the order on December 19 while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate ML Yadav. The petition was filed because of repeated severe injuries caused by the dangerous kite string, particularly to two-wheeler riders.
The petitioner urged the central government to impose a complete ban on the import of Chinese manjha and requested the state government to prohibit its sale and use across U.P. Yadav cited several media reports and real-life cases of grievous injuries to support the plea.
The court had earlier, on September 3, directed the state government to submit an affidavit through its home and environment departments detailing measures taken to enforce government orders against the use of Chinese manjha. It also asked for a summary of district-level ATRs to assess implementation efforts.
Additionally, the central government was instructed to clarify its position on the matter and provide details on whether the issue is pending before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) or has been resolved.
{{/usCountry}}Additionally, the central government was instructed to clarify its position on the matter and provide details on whether the issue is pending before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) or has been resolved.
{{/usCountry}}Granting the respondents’ counsel another opportunity to comply with the directives, the court fixed January 30, 2025, as the next date of hearing.