NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court sought a response from Centre to examine a plea seeking ban on nearly 85 pesticides which have been posing health complications.
A bench of Justices Arun Misra and Vineet Saran issued notices to the Centre and others on a plea by one Kavita Kuruganti who said empowering state governments to take decisions at their level for prohibition and restriction related to pesticides as deadly pesticidesis a major threat to the right to life of farm workers and farmers.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, argued for empowering the states, said that these pesticides have been banned in other countries but in India they are being allowed to be used which could pose serious health hazards to farmers.
The petition also pointed out 84 cases of hospitalisation in Yavatmal in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra and 40 other cases stand testimony to this danger.