The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has issued directives to various departments concerned, including police, to take immediate and tangible action against the on-line supply of life-threatening nylon manja through portals such as Facebook, Lucky Kite Center, Jio Mart, and Just Dial. In a recent hearing presided over by Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Abhay Mantri, Facebook, one of the implicated on-line portals, assured the High Court that it has removed all objectionable content related to nylon manja. The case is scheduled for further deliberation on February 22, with Facebook expected to submit a detailed report within four weeks on the actions taken against nylon manja.

 

The High Court has sought clarification from the State Government regarding the specific measures it intends to implement against the widespread use and distribution of nylon manja. Last week, the High Court had mandated the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to provide a response regarding the regularisation and standardisation of the Manja industry. This move was aimed at curbing the deadly nylon manja industry, which has thrived due to the absence of industry regulations. Despite the National Green Tribunal’s complete ban on the production, use, sale, and import of nylon manja in 2017, its sale continues under various names due to lack of standardisation.

 

On-line portals have exploited this regulatory gap by arguing against a blanket ban on nylon manja and cited the need for standardisation. In light of this, the High Court has called upon the BIS to offer insights into the feasibility of standardising and regularising the manja industry nation-wide. During a previous hearing, the police revealed the production of nylon manja in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and informed that on-line portals, including Facebook, were utilizing different names for the sale of nylon manja. As a result, the High Court had sought clarification from the BIS on the national regularisation of the manja industry. Adv Ravi Sanyal represented MPCB, Adv Shishir Uke appeared for the State while Adv Girish Kunte represented the NIT.