The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to grant an interim stay on the January 7 notification, banning plastic bags from public places in the Capital.

A Division Bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and A K Pathak, however, asked the Delhi government to consider the objections raised by plastic manufacturers. The Bench had earlier sought a response from the government on a petition filed by plastic bag manufacturers against the “blanket ban”.

The All-India Plastic Industries Association criticised the January 7 notification this year issued by the Department of Environment and Forests and Wildlife under the Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag Act, 2008, as “arbitrary”. The Association had argued that the present notification is contrary to earlier ones on June 2005 and May 2006, which allowed the use of degradable plastic bags in “certain places”.

HC seeks UGC response
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought response from the University Grants Commission (UGC) on a public interest litigation against a notification allegedly granting “university” status to institutions classified as “deemed to be”. A Division Bench led by Chief Justice A P Shah ordered the UGC and the Centre to file their responses by July 29, the next date of hearing.