Supreme Court Stays Construction Activities In Certain Union Territories And States Until A Solid Waste Management Policy Has Been Framed

A division bench of the Supreme Court of India (Court), comprising of Justice Madan Lokur and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer, has, In Re: Outrage as Parents End Life After Child's Dengue (SMW (c) No. 1 of 2015), vide its order dated 31 August 2018, stayed all construction activities in certain Union Territories (UTs) and States until a solid waste management policy has been framed as required under Rule 11 of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 (SWMR 2016).

Background

On 16 September 2015, the Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance of an incident based on a newspaper report titled "Outrage as parents end life after child's dengue death" (Suo Moto PIL), published in a national daily. The newspaper reported about the suicide of a couple who were bereaved by the loss of their son due to dengue. This report led to widespread outrage across the country and condemnation of the municipal authorities, who had failed to take effective steps to dispose of solid waste. The