The Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on the use of glass bottles to sell liquor in the State-run shops. The court said that there was no such law to ban the use of glass bottles and the order against the use of glass bottles would have a consequent effect on the sale of other consumables which are sold in glass bottles.
The Public Interest Litigation was filed by one Rangarajan Narasimhan of Srirangam at the admission state itself. The petitioner pleaded to ban the sale of liquor in glass bottles as the use of glass bottles was causing nuisance to farmers since they were invariably thrown in the agricultural fields.
Rangarajan Narasimhan (petitioner)
“The farmers run the risk of stepping on the broken glass pieces and hence it had become a ritual for the farmers to clear their fields of glass pieces before stepping in. The tipplers use the fields for consuming liquor during night hours and throw away the bottles into the fields. A study also claims that glass is more harmful than plastic.”
However, the bench of acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy refused to entertain the Public Interest Litigation.