Plastic ban: HC says TN govt can seize only 14 items listed in government order

The Madras High Court Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu government not to seize plastic products other than the 14 items listed in the June 25, 2018 Government Order (GO), prohibiting their use.

A division bench, comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Krishnan Ramasamy, passed the interim order on a batch of pleas moved by retail traders of plastic products, alleging that they were being harassed by authorities under the guise of implementing the ban order.

The petitioners submitted that the authorities, without understanding the scope of the prohibition, were seizing plastic products not banned by the GO.

Only 14 items listed in the order are prohibited from use, sale and manufacture. But the officials conducting inspections were seizing all plastic products, irrespective of whether they were banned by the GO or not, they alleged.

They urged the court to intervene and restrain the authorities from acting in this manner and direct them to seize only the 14 products listed.

As to the suggestion made by the court to the government to consider banning all plastic products in a phased manner, the petitioners said they had moved a review petition, seeking to review the court's direction.

Recording the same, the bench posted the pleas to January 23 for further hearing.

On December 27, a vacation bench of the High Court had refused to stay the operation of the ban and instead suggested that the government consider a complete ban on all plastic products.

"The government shall in the long run consider phasing out of plastic of any kind in the market, including plastic that has been referred to in the exempted provision of the GO," the court said.