The Madras High Court on Monday directed the Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to file a counter affidavit to a public interest litigation petition, seeking enactment of a law to protect the traditional rights of fishermen, within two weeks or end up appearing before the court in person.
Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and P. Rajamanickam issued the direction on the PIL petition filed by Fiserhmen Care, a NGO represented by its president L.T.A. Peter Ryan. The petitioner had said, the law was essential to protect the rights of fishermen operating in the 7,500 km long coastal line from Gujarat to West Bengal.
The petitioner’s counsel L.P. Maurya brought it to the notice of the court that the Centre had constituted an expert committee led by eminent geneticist M.S. Swaminathan in 2009. The committee had recommended enactment of a law on the lines of the one enacted for protecting the traditional rights of forest dwellers, for protecting the traditional rights of fishermen.
The then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh too sent a communication in this regard to the Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on August 22, 2009. Yet, nothing fruitful transpired thereafter, he said and sought for a direction to take necessary steps for early enactment of the law by preparing a Bill and tabling it in the Parliament.
