FR filed against the decision to lift the ban on Glyphosate
A Fundamental Rights petition has been filed before the Supreme Court calling for the government’s decision to lift the ban on the use of Glyphosate to be revoked.
The petition was filed by Senior Advisor of the Centre for Policy Alternatives Hemantha Vithanage and several others.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Minister of Finance, the Registrar of Pesticides, the Ministers of Agriculture and Health, the Director General of Health Services, the Central Environmental Authority, the Consumer Affairs Authority, and the Attorney General have been cited as respondents in the petition.
The petitioner claims that a Gazette Notification has been issued at present lifting the ban imposed on glyphosate in 2017.The petition cites that the use of glyphosate negatively impacts water bodies and also affects soil and plants.
The petitioner claims that glyphosate also adversely affects one’s health while fish and birds will also be affected.The petitioner informed Court that lifting the ban imposed on glyphosate is a violation of citizens’ fundamental rights and called for an interim order to suspend the lifting of the ban.
An Extraordinary Gazette Notification was issued permitting the importation of glyphosate recently.The Gazette Notification was undersigned by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as Minister of Finance, dated the 5th of August.