Plea to ensure G.O. banning single use plastic is strictly implemented in Palani
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday ordered notice to Dindigul District Administration on a public interest litigation petition that sought a direction to the authorities to strictly implement the 2018 G.O. that banned the use of single use plastic items. The petitioner sought the strict implementation of the G.O. in Palani taluk in Dindigul district.
A Division Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and A.D. Maria Clete sought the response of the authorities to the petition filed by K. Purushothaman of Palani in Dindigul district. He said lakhs of people were visiting Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple in Palani and shops and people were using the banned plastic items.
The petitioner complained that the shopkeepers and people were continuing to use the banned single use plastic items ignoring the G.O. issued in 2018. These plastic items that included covers, cups, sheets, straws, plates and other such items were still being produced and used. The usage of such plastics affected people's health and caused environmental pollution, he said.
The government had issued a notification in 2019 stating that no industry or person shall manufacture, store, supply, transport, sell or distribute, use and throw away plastics and no person including the shopkeeper, vendor, wholesaler, retailer, trader, hawker and salesman shall use and throw away plastics, he said.
Even after the G.O. and the notification was issued the district administration had failed to prevent the production and sale of the single use plastic items. The shopkeepers and people were continuing to use these plastic items. They use these plastic items and discard them on the roadside, he said.
The petitioner said he had made a representation to the authorities concerned in this regard. However, no action was initiated by the authorities. He sought a direction to the authorities to ensure that the G.O. was strictly implemented and also to take action against the manufacturers and users. The court adjourned the hearing by two weeks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Derogatory speech by Ponmudy: Madras High Court orders notices to DGP, Chennai Commissioner of Police
The Madras High Court on Friday (June 13, 2025) ordered notices, returnable by June 25, to the Director General of Police/Head of Police Force as well as Greater Chennai Commissioner of Police on a suo motu writ petition taken up by the court for registration of a criminal case against former Minister K. Ponmudy of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for his derogatory speech against Saivites, Vaishnavites and women in general. Justice P. Velmurugan also directed the High Court Registry to furnish to the two officers, the copies of an order passed by Justice N. Anand Venkatesh on April 23, 2025 for taking up the suo motu case. Pursuant to the order, the writ was numbered with the concurrence of Chief Justice K.R. Shriram and listed for hearing before Justice Velmurugan since he holds the MP/MLA portfolio at present. Tamil Nadu Ministers Senthilbalaji, Ponmudy quit after strong court remarks Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had dropped Mr. Ponmudy from the Cabinet on April 27, 2025 pursuant to the speech delivered at a meeting organised by Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) in Chennai on April 8, 2025. Justice Venkatesh had taken serious note of the issue on April 23, 2025 after video clips of the speech went viral on the social media and wondered how the police had not booked a case for hate speech. In his April 23, 2025 order, the judge wrote: 'These comments, on the face of it, are completely derogatory of women and deliberately spew venom and hatred on the two main sects of Hinduism viz., Saivism and Vaishnavism.' The judge went on to state: 'As is perhaps known, Saivites venerate Lord Shiva as the supreme being whose focus is on achieving liberation (Moksha) from the cycle of suffering. Vaishnavites, on the other hand, are worshippers of Lord Vishnu in his various avatars, and consider him as the supreme being among all Hindu deities. Saivism and Vaishnavism hold a deep religious significance in the State of Tamil Nadu.' 'To many, the religious practices of these two sects form a part of their creed,' the judge said and observed that the Minister, in his speech, ought not to have likened the Tiruman (three vertical lines sported by Vaishnavites on their forehead) and Tripundra (the three horizontal lines sported by the Saivites on their forehead) with the suggestive sexual postures by a sex worker. 'In Saivism, the horizontal lines on the forehead is a sacred religious symbol depicting Lord Shiva's three aspects: creation, preservation and destruction. In Vaishnavism, the three lines are a symbol of a Vaishnavite's devotion and commitment to the path of righteousness (dharma) and spiritual enlightenment... The available clip played in the court shows the Minister has likened these sacred religious symbols with sexual positions,' the order read. Justice Venkatesh also said: 'Prime facie, it is evident that the video demeaned the moral worth of sex workers, particularly women and was calculated to subvert the harmony and peace of religious groups and various sects. Apart from being obscene, the speech also undoubtedly wounds the religious feelings of Vaishnavites and Saivites and is aimed at insulting the Hindu religion and religious feelings of these religious groups.' Further, observing that the Minister had prima facie appeared to have delivered a hate speech, the judge said, it would attract Sections 79, 196(1)(b), 296(a), 299 and 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) of 2023. He also highlighted the Supreme Court to have come down heavily upon those who deliver hate speeches and said, the top court had also directed the police to act against such individuals. by registering criminal cases. 'The Minister had admitted to making these derogatory comments and had, in fact, been removed from the post of Deputy General Secretary of DMK. Still, the police machinery which is tasked with the job of tackling hate speech lay motionless... The continued inaction and hesitation of the police in registering an FIR for hate speech against a Minister is most distressing and unfortunate,' the order read. Justice Venkatesh had passed the order before Mr. Ponmudy resigned from the Cabinet on April 27, 2025. Then, he had also directed the Registry to register a suo motu writ petition and place it before the Chief Justice for appropriate directions on the administrative side. Since the High Court was on summer vacation for the entire month of May, the petition was listed for admission on Friday (June 13, 2025).
Scroll.in
7 hours ago
- Scroll.in
Allow authorities to issue ‘no caste, no community' certificates: Madras HC to Tamil Nadu
The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to issue orders empowering revenue officials to grant 'no caste, no community' certificates to applicants, Live Law reported on Thursday. In the order pronounced on Tuesday, a bench of Justices MS Ramesh and N Senthilkumar observed that the intention of a person to shun religious and caste-based identity was laudable, The Hindu reported. It would promote the prohibition of caste-based discrimination, it added. The court was hearing an appeal against a single judge's order from February 2024. The judge had dismissed a petition filed by a man who was seeking a government certificate stating that he and his family belonged to no religion or caste, Live Law reported. While he acknowledged the man's request, the judge noted that the government had not empowered tehsildars to issue such a certificate. Allowing a writ appeal against the order on Tuesday, the High Court said that the single judge appeared to have been 'misguided' by an additional government pleader's argument that revenue officials were not empowered to issue 'no caste, no community' certificates, The Hindu reported. The bench added that 'even otherwise, when there is a constitutional mandate under Article 25 of the Constitution, the revenue authorities cannot wriggle out of this constitutional obligation by quoting absence of any rule or GO [government order] to that effect'. Article 25 guarantees freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion. The court directed the Tirupattur collector and tehsildar to issue the certificate to the appellant within a month. Authoring the verdict, Ramesh wrote that in India, religion and caste are two social identifiers that influence several aspects of life, including personal identity, politics and social interactions. 'While the Constitution prohibits caste based discrimination, caste and religion still play a significant role in social life, politics, education and employment through reservation policies,' he said.
New Indian Express
12 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Madras HC suspends one-month prison sentence of senior IAS officer
CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday suspended the one-month simple imprisonment imposed on IAS officer Anshul Mishra by a single judge last month after finding him guilty of contempt of court. The bench comprising justices MS Ramesh and V Lakshminarayanan passed the interim orders on the appeal, filed by Mishra, challenging his conviction. It can be recalled that the single judge himself had suspended the sentencing for a month to provide time for the officer to prefer an appeal. The division bench on Thursday directed Mishra to deposit Rs 25,000 within three weeks and adjourned the next hearing on the appeal petition to July 21. The single judge found the officer guilty of contempt on finding that its order, issued in November 2023 to consider the petitions of two elderly siblings, was not complied with by Mishra in his capacity as the member secretary of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. The siblings had been fighting for long to retrieve a small portion of their land that was acquired by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board but was not utilised.
