SUO MOTU Vs. TRAVANCORE DEVASWOM BOARD

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The prayer of the Special Commissioner is to temporarily lift the ban on plastic imposed in and around Sabarimala by two orders of this Court in 2015 and 2018. This has to be considered in the context of the present pandemic situation and the perennial environmental degradation that is sought to be avoided.

(2.) In this context, we would refer to a report in the daily 'The New Sunday Express' dated 22.11.2020 regarding the large scale pollution even in remote Mount Everest. A study of micro plastics on Everest, the first of its kind, by a research team part of the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition found tiny pollutants at heights of 8,440 metres above sea level with higher concentrations at the base camp. The report published in the journal 'One Earth' speaks of micro plastics found in every snow sample analysed from Mount Everest. It is also reported that the outdoor clothing, tents and climbing gear made of synthetic fabrics account for the majority of such pollutants more than food and drink containers. 'Plastic litter, and the tiny particles that it breaks down into, has emerged in the last few years as a major environmental scourge' (sic - the report).

(3.) The Special Commissioner in the instant report has sought for re-introducing this environmental scourge into Sabarimala; temporarily, in the times of the pandemic. It is requested that face-shields masks, gloves and hand sanitizers in plastic bottles be permitted for the current Mandala Makaravilakku Season commencing on 15.11.2020, on a review of the earlier orders. It is also prayed that the Devaswom Board and the Sabarimala Sanitization Society be directed to collect, segregate and dispose of the plastic items in a scientific manner.