The Madras High Court on Thursday restrained government officials from harassing businessmen dealing with plastic products other than those that are on the list of banned ‘use and throw’ products. The court ordered that their businesses should not be disturbed as long as they operate in tune with the government order issued on June 25 and a clarification issued on December 18 banning select products from January 1.
A Division Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Krishnan Ramasamy passed the interim order on writ petitions filed by a group of 58 plastic products manufacturers from Chennai. Representing one batch of petitioners, senior counsel P. Wilson claimed that the officials had been raiding and seizing even products that had been exempted from the ban. He claimed such interference was causing great hindrance to their business operations.
After hearing him, the judges ordered that the “petitioners shall not be harassed as long as they carry on their business in tune with the G.O. and the clarification letter.” They also directed the High Court Registry to list the present cases on January 23 along with a batch of pending cases related to the issue. While a majority of those cases had challenged the validity of the G.O., one of them preferred by Salem Plastics Manufacturers Association had challenged the exemptions.
‘Previous order stays’
During the hearing of another batch of cases filed by Kavitha Plastic, K.P. Poly Plast Industries and others on Thursday, the judges said their previous interim order imposing a prohibition on harassment shall apply to these cases too. Then, Additional Advocate General P.H. Arvindh Pandian brought to the court’s notice that a Division Bench of Justices S. Vaidyanathan and P.T. Asha had last month suggested banning the exempted products too.
Immediately, petitioner’s counsel G. Sankaran informed the Bench led by Mr. Justice Sundresh that he had already filed a review petition against the suggestion.
