Home Case Index All Cases Customs Customs + HC Customs - 2017 (8) TMI HC This
Forgot password New User/ Regiser ⇒ Register to get Live Demo
2017 (8) TMI 504 - HC - CustomsImport of restricted item - Boric acid used for non-insecticidal purposes - restrictions brought about on import of Boric acid by Agriculture Ministry via notification dated 7.4.2006 amending the import policy by amending the Schedule - case of petitioner is that it is not within the power of the Government of India to impose such restriction - whether the Ministry of Agriculture has power to bring such restrictions on import of Boric Acid for non-insecticidal purposes? - Held that: - Section 27 gives powers to the Central Government or the State Government to impose immediate ban on sale, distribution or use of the insecticide or batch of it, where in the opinion of the Government use thereof is likely to involve such human risk or risk to animals as to render it expedient or necessary to impose such immediate ban pending such investigation. Offences have been prescribed under section 29 of the Act. Special Courts could be set up for speedy disposal of such cases - the legislation framed section 38 providing for exemptions. Under subsection( 1) nothing in the Act would apply to the use of any insecticide by any person for his own household purposes or for kitchen garden or in respect of any land under his cultivation. Under clause(b) nothing in the Act would apply to any substance specified or included in the Schedule or any preparation containing any one or more of them, if such substance or preparation is intended for purposes other than preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any insects, rodents, fungi, weeds and other forms of plant or animal life not useful to human beings. Under subsection( 2) of section 38, the Central Government is authorised to issue notification exempting all or any of the provisions of this Act in case of educational, scientific or research organization engaged in carrying out experiments with insecticides. Subsection( 1) of section 38 which is a general exemption is divided in two parts. Under clause(a), insecticides for household and kitchen purposes etc. are kept out of the purview of the Act. Under clause(b), insecticides intended for the purposes other than agricultural and incidental purposes are exempted such as preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any insects, rodents, fungi, weeds and other forms of plant or animal life not useful to human beings. Clause(b) of subsection( 1) exempts the use of insecticides for non insecticidal purposes from the purview of the Act. Subsection (2) of section 38 gives powers to the Central Government to grant exemption for use of insecticides for educational, scientific or research purposes. The Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee under the Ministry of Agriculture is only assigned the task of processing applications by the prospective importers for granting the import permit. There is nothing either unreasonable in this Act or impermissible in the statute for the Government of India so to do. Under the Act of 1992, the Government of India has ample powers to regulate the import policy. While doing so, it is either open for the Government of India to prohibit or restrict import of a certain item or subject it to regulatory measures. In the present case, Government of India was of the opinion that looking to the toxic nature of the substance, it was necessary to regulate its import. It may be that such regulation is provided for import of the substance for non insecticidal purposes. However, the philosophy behind such regulatory measure cannot be faulted - the Insecticides Act, 1968 makes detailed provisions for regulation and control of any insecticides including boric acid for the purposes of insecticidal uses. Its manufacture, trade, storage etc, can be subject to control and supervision. Section 38 of the Act when exempts all uses of insecticides for non insecticidal purposes from the provisions of the Act, would still leave the residual power in the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that use of the substance is actually being made for non insecticidal purposes and not for insecticidal purposes. The impugned notification issued by the Government of India does not lack the authority nor specifications of Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee under the Ministry of Agriculture as the permitting authority, is impermissible under the law. The petitioners as well as the private respondents i.e. the local manufacturers of boric acid have presented different data of import permission sought and granted. These figures show a huge cleavage. The data produced by the petitioners would suggest permission was granted for a small proportion of the quantity demanded by the importer. Whereas the data produced by the respondents would suggest, much of the demand was met. Such data picked for a small period without anything further cannot establish mala fides nor lack of it. In any case, policy formation through subordinate legislation is entirely different from its implementation. The former may be perfectly valid whereas the later may be defective. Petition dismissed - decided against petitioner.
|