The Hindu : New Delhi News : High Court order on export of non-Basmati rice stayed

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Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008
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High Court order on export of non-Basmati rice stayed

J. Venkatesan

No further shipment of rice should be allowed: Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday restrained a group of exporters from Andhra Pradesh from exporting non-Basmati rice and said no further shipment of rice to other countries should be allowed.

Acting on a batch of appeals a Vacation Bench comprising Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice G. S. Singhvi stayed an interim order passed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court staying the Centre’s notification on export ban on writ petitions from exporters challenging the ban.

Notices

The Bench said that no further shipment be allowed pursuant to the High Court direction. The Bench also issued notice to the respondents-exporters in 38 cases on transfer petitions filed by the Centre seeking transfer of 38 cases pending in various High Courts in the country.

The exporters had contended that the ban would jeopardise their business interests as they would be sued in case of non-performance of a contract to supply rice as per the agreement. It was argued that the notification should take only prospective effect and not retrospective effect and contracts already formalised should be exempted by the government.

Assailing the interim order, the Centre in a batch of SLPs, said the decision to ban rice export was taken in view of the grim food grain and rice situation globally. Various interim orders passed by the High Courts had resulted in non-Basmati rice being exported when the country was facing rice crisis. The SLPs sought quashing of the impugned High Court order and an interim stay of its operation.

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