Common Judgment:

In this batch of three writ petitions, the validity of the notification dated 25-07-2007, issued by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the 1st respondent herein, in exercise of powers under Section 27 of the Insecticides Act, 1968 (for short ‘the Act’); is challenged.

The petitioners are the manufacturers, or distributors, as the case may be, of different varieties of insecticides. Through the impugned notification, the 1st respondent prohibited the supply, distribution, sale, and use of insecticides, known as ‘Synthetic Pyrethroids’, for a period of 60 days, in the State of Andhra Pradesh. The notification was published in the A.P. Gazette.

The petitioners contend that the Synthetic Pyrethroids are used, mostly for protection of commercial crops, such as cotton, chilly, vegetables, and for the past several years, the farmers were successful in controlling various plant diseases by using the said insecticides. It is stated that similar notifications were issued during the past two years also, but no further action, as contemplated under Section 27 of the Act, was undertaken, and it is complained that the present notification is issued by misusing the power