The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Central government on repeatedly appointing expert committees to examine the issue of banning the use of hazardous pesticides in agriculture observing that the adverse reports recommending banning pesticides were not acted upon.
Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, heading a bench also comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, said, “We have an impression that whenever there is an adverse report (recommending banning pesticides), a new committee is set-up.”
CJI Chandrachud said, “We are clear in our mind” the way issue of banning the pesticides is being dealt with and posted the matter for hearing on Tuesday (August 1) as Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee sought time for taking instruction from the Central government.
In the course of the hearing the Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee told the bench that they have followed the statutory provisions and wanted to show it, CJI Chandrachud said that they will see but asked the ASG Banerjee to also explain the reasons for setting up Rajindran Committee to look into the issue afresh despite three earlier reports recommending banning 27 harmful pesticides.
“What was the basis or reasons for setting up the Rajindran Committee to go into the issue afresh, which made recommendations different from those made by Dr. Khurana Committee. What weighed with the government not to accept the Khurana Committee recommendation.”
Appearing for the PIL petitioner NGO Vanashakti which has sought direction for prohibiting the use of harmful pesticides, advocate Prashant Bhushan said that three committees – Anupam Verma Committee in 2015, Registration Committee in 2018 and S K Khurana Committee in 2020, had recommended the banning of 27 pesticides – which were either banned or not in use in many counties across the globe.
Bhushan said that the government did not act on the recommendation of these three committees. However, it acted on the report of Rajindran committee which in 2022 recommended the banning of three pesticides -which even otherwise were not being used.
Dr. Anupam Verma headed an expert committee that was set-up on July 8, 2013 that reviewed the use of 66b pesticides that were either banned/restricted/withdrawn in one or more countries but continued to be registered in India. Dr. Anupam Verma committee submitted its report in 2015 and recommended banning 27 pesticides.
In 2018, the Registration Committee that went into Dr. Anupam Verma’s recommendations had reiterated them.
In 2020, the government set up another expert committee headed by Dr. S.K. Khurana to relook into the issue. The Khurana committee too recommended banning 27 pesticides.
All the three reports were not acted upon by the government.
However, in 2022, the government set up a Rajindran Committee that recommended the banning of three pesticides – which according to Bhushan – were already not in use.