India: Supreme Court for export of Endosulfan

New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) India's Supreme Court today favoured export of unused stock of Endosulfan insecticide manufactured in the country and said that the detailed order on the mechanism to sell it to overseas companies would be passed on December 13. A bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia said that if other countries want to import the agrochemical, then it can be allowed. The court also sought an explanation from Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), youth wing of Communist Party of India (Marxist) which had filed the petition seeking ban on manufacturing of the insecticide, for objecting to the proposal for allowing the export. The bench had earlier, on September 30, allowed the company manufacturing Endosulfan to export nearly 1,100 tonnes of the pesticide to meet their contractual obligations while maintaining the ban on its use and production. India's apex court had on August 5 asked an expert panel appointed by it to explore the possibility of exporting the unused stock of Endosulfan manufactured in the country. The expert committee had recommended its export. The court had on May 13 imposed a complete ban on production, sale and use of the pesticide holding that human life is more important than anything else and it did not want even a single child to suffer. The court's order had came on a petition filed by DYFI seeking a ban on Endosulfan on the ground that it was causing health hazards, including genetic disorders, in the southern state of Kerala where it is widely used. The bench had said it was concerned about the right to life of citizens guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution and even companies involved in its manufacturing could not ignore corporate and social responsibility by ignoring the hazards posed to human lives. PTI