Sudhakaran K.V. v Central Pollution Control Board and others, WP(C) No. 16253 of 2023 (High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam) (21 January 2025) (Order by Nitin Jamdar, C.J.) 

Petitioners are seeking action against producers and manufacturers of cups, plates, and other products that do not have registration as required under the Plastic Waste Management Rules. Rule 13 of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, requires “registration of producers, recyclers and manufacturers carrying out the business of carry bags or recycled plastic bags or multilayered packaging.” Order at para. 4. The Rules were promulgated to provide the regulatory framework to manage plastic waste. Id. at para. 6. Petitioners claim plastic manufacture and waste problems are growing. If producers and manufacturers are not registered, managing the problems becomes more difficult. The Court recognizes that the government respondents have flagged a lack of manpower as a problem in complying with the regulations and managing the waste. Id. at para. 21. The Court issues a series of interim directions to address the problem including requiring government agencies to “consider developing an App . . . for lodging public grievances to control the issue of unauthorized and illegal distribution of plastic products.” Id. at para. 22.