A petition has been filed before the Kerala High Court challenging the government order prescribing a cut-off date as October 2011 for utilising various schemes formulated for endosulfan victims in Kasaragod district.
The petition was filed by the Confederation of Endosulfan Victims Rights Collective (CERVE). Quoting the order, it said those born after the cut-off date would not be considered for schemes for endosulfan victims. The petitioner said endosulfan was genotoxic and had affected several generations. Therefore, fixing a cut-off date without any scientific basis was arbitrary. It would also affect the rights of victims born after the cut-off date who suffered from various health problems owing to exposure to endosulfan.
The government had reportedly issued the order on the advice of an expert committee. The order said the effects of endosulfan lasted for a maximum of six years, and as the pesticide was banned in 2005, those born after October 2011 could not not have been exposed to it.
