“No Confusion”: High Court Stay Covers Punjab’s Repeated Ban on 12 Pesticides, Says CCFI
29 August 2025, New Delhi: The controversy over the proposed ban on 12 popular pesticide molecules in Punjab, widely used in basmati rice cultivation, has taken a significant turn after the Punjab & Haryana High Court intervened and granted a stay.
Reacting to a press report, Harish Mehta, Senior Advisor, Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI), said there is no scope for any confusion in the matter. He clarified that the stay granted by the Hon’ble Court does not operate only on Notification No. O.29/C.A.46/1968/S.27/2025 dated May 10, 2025, but also restrains the Punjab Government from repeatedly prohibiting the sale of the same set of products year after year without any valid basis.
The High Court, in its order, recorded several key facts. It noted that the Punjab Government has been imposing bans on these insecticides since 2018. The court also observed that a report issued by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on January 24, 2024, recommending a ban on these products, had been forwarded by the State Government to the Centre. Importantly, the expert body of the Central Government, the Registration Committee, reviewed the PAU report and concluded that there were no safety concerns relating to the molecules mentioned. Interestingly, the PAU report covered all 11 products mentioned in the May 10, 2025 notification, as well as Hexaconazole, which had earlier been prohibited through a 2023 notification and again via Notification No. S.O.122/C.A.46/1968/S.27/2025 issued on July 15, 2025.
According to Mehta, this makes it clear that the Registration Committee has not found any safety issue with any of the products mentioned in the PAU report, including Hexaconazole. He added that these molecules have been tried and tested over the years and have proved effective when used on various crops, including basmati.
Ashish Kothari, the advocate representing CCFI, further elaborated that the issuance of a new notification by the Punjab Government on July 15, 2025, was questionable, since the earlier notification of May 10, 2025—which was to take effect from August 1, 2025—was already under judicial consideration. Given that the Registration Committee has already clarified that none of the products pose any safety risks, he said, the July 15 notification cannot be implemented. Any attempt to do so could even expose the Punjab Government to contempt of court proceedings.
The media report had also quoted Ashok Sethi, Director of Punjab Rice Millers and Exporters Association, claiming that manufacturing companies were pushing their products without concern for residue traces. Refuting this, CCFI Executive Director Nirmala Pathrawal expressed surprise and said such claims were not based on any scientific evidence. She pointed out that no details of any rejected consignments had ever been shared, despite repeated RTI applications filed by the federation.
Despite the regulatory tussle, sales of these molecules for use on basmati rice in Punjab are continuing uninterrupted. CCFI members have also resolved to intensify farmer training programmes on the safe and judicious use of pesticides across all major crops of economic importance, ensuring both compliance and sustainability in agricultural practices.
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