SC issues notice on endosulfan ban

The Supreme Court today asked the central and state governments why a ban should not be clamped on the production, sale and use of insecticide Endosulfan which had crippled many people in India.

The SC notice came on petition filed by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), which is affiliated to the Communist Party of India-Marxist. The bench is headed by chief justice SH Kapadia.

According to the petitioner the use of Endosulfan was frought with serious health hazards.

Endosulfan, an off-patent organochlorine insecticide, which is a colourless solid, has emerged as a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity.

DYFI contends that several studies had documented that the use of endosulfan could also affect human development.

The apex court bench comprising justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar, besides chief justice Kapadia in its notice to the centre, has asked solicitor general Gopal Subramanium to remain present on the next date of hearing on 11May.

The DYFI has given examples of serious health hazards caused by the use of the pesticide in Kerala's Kasaragod district. According to the petitioner, several studies had documented that endosulfan could also affect human development.

"Researchers studying children from an isolated village in Kasaragod district have linked endosulfan exposure to delays in sexual maturity among boys. Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide. This colourless solid has emerged as a highly controversial agrochemicals due to its acute toxicity, potential for bio-accumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor," the petition said.