The Madras High Court disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed seeking direction to the respondents to prohibit pair trawling of fishing with purse-seine net by any fishing vessels.
The PIL further seeks action against persons who involved in Fishing by pair trawling of fishing with purse-seine net by any fishing vessels in the entire coastal of Union Territory of Puducherry in the territorial waters, as a measure to conserve areas of fishery in contravention of rule 6(d) of the Puducherry Marine Fishing Regulation Rules, 2009.
The Court had heard the matter on 24.1.2024.
The Apex Court had already issued guidelines in the case of Fisherman Care, registered association v. Government of India, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and others, (2023) 8 SCC 448. The Government Pleader (Puducherry) had sought time to take instructions as to whether the guidelines are being implemented in the Union Territory of Puducherry.
On March 11, Government Pleader (Puducherry) placed on record a communication addressed to him by the Director of Fisheries, Government of Puducherry dated 11.3.2024. It is stated that public notices in leading Tamil dailies about the interim judgment passed by the Supreme Court were issued on 27.4.2023 and 15.6.2023. Circulars were also issued to fishing villages to follow the conditions permitted in the interim order of the Supreme Court dated 24.1.2023 and 28.4.2023.
The Government Pleader (Puducherry) submits that the Government of Puducherry would scrupulously implement the guidelines as enumerated by the Apex Court in the case of Fisherman Care, (supra).
In view of that, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay V. Gangapurwala and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy disposed of the Petition.