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Onion prices drive lawyers to court

A public interest petition has been filed in the Delhi high court seeking a direction to the Centre and the state governments to control the skyrocketing prices of onions and other essential commodities in the capital.

The petition, filed by the All-India Lawyers Union through its counsel Ashok Aggarwal, came up for hearing before a division bench comprising Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice K S Gupta today.

The bench issued show-cause notices to the Union agriculture ministry and the chief secretary to the Delhi government and directed them to file a report within a fortnight listing the steps taken or considered to deal with the situation.

Prices of essential commodities like onions (Rs 40 per kilo), potatoes (Rs 15 per kg), capsicums (Rs 45 per kg), ginger (Rs 50 per kg), beans (Rs 30 per kg), and cauliflower (Rs 40 per kg) have been soaring over the past three months.

In its petition, the AILU urged the court to pass orders to prevent hoarding and black-marketing and ensure adequate supply of these commodities in the market.

It further urged the court to order the governments to ensure the sale of these essential commodities even in the open market at reasonable prices by invoking the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

The AILU submitted that the unprecedented rise in price of onions, among other things, reflected the failure of the authorities to discipline traders at both the retail and wholesale levels.

UNI

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