SC hesitant in revoking ban on plastic

The Supreme Court on Friday showed its reluctance to set aside a Delhi High Court judgment directing the state government to notify a law increasing the thickness of plastic bags from 20 microns to 40 microns and make it costlier, in order to discourage its indiscriminate use.

The Supreme Court on Friday showed its reluctance to set aside a Delhi High Court judgment directing the state government to notify a law increasing the thickness of plastic bags from 20 microns to 40 microns and make it costlier, in order to discourage its indiscriminate use.

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A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan told the plastic manufacturers that challenging the ban on plastic was hazardous to the environment.

“Do you know what plastic is doing? It’s playing havoc,” the bench told senior counsel K K Venugopal, appearing for the manufacturers.

Justice Deepak Verma, a member of the three-judge bench, said, “If the ban is allowed to stand, the same old habit will return.”

The court, however, directed the Delhi Government to file its response to the petitions and adjourned the case to April.

The January 7, 2009 notification bans the use of plastic bags in shopping malls, five-star hotels, restaurants, dairies and fruits and vegetable outlets, under the Environment Protection Act.