SC slams industry for treating human life ‘very cheap’ for profits

New Delhi, March 1 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday lashed out at the industry for using a technology junked all over, in their "obsession for profit" and treating human life "very cheap" as it dismissed plea for the relaxation of its 2018 order permitting import of pet coke for certain industries using it as feedstock.

Dismissing the plea by the Indian Steel Association seeking relaxation of July 26, 2018 order, the bench of Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Deepak Gupta said that "every junked technology comes to India, treating human life very cheap".

Besides the steel association, the court was also moved by Faridabad Industries Association.

Referring to the United States and China, where the use of pet coke -- cheap fuel -- has been banned, the court said "environment can't be allowed to be destroyed like this".

The top court by its July 26, 2018 order had permitted the import of pet coke only for cement, lime kiln, calcium carbide and gasification industries where pet coke is used as a feedstock or in the manufacturing process and not as a fuel.

The court in the last hearing of the matter on January 28 had rejected a batch of applications from different industries seeking relaxation of its earlier order limiting the import of pet coke for the use of certain industries, including cement and aluminium, as feedstock.

"We will die one day but these industries will prosper," Justice Mishra, sitting with Justice Gupta, had said refusing to dilute their July 26, 2018, order limiting the import of pet coke to 1.4 million metric tonne.