Give sops to trucks carrying pulses: Delhi HC

New Delhi: Food grains are synonymous not only with cereals but pulses as well, the Delhi high court has held.

The ruling came on a plea challenging a Delhi government notification which exempted vehicles carrying food grains from the environment compensation charge (ECC), but not those transporting pulses.

Disagreeing with the government’s stand, Justice Vibhu Bakhru said, “The word grains in the context of food stuffs would obviously imply food grains and the said term plainly includes pulses. There is no basis to assume that the expression food grains are synonymous to cereals”. “Vehicles carrying pulses would not be subject to levy of ECC,” the court said.

It reasoned that pulses fall under the category of food stuffs as per the Essential Commodities Act and the Supreme Court in October 2015 had held that vehicles carrying essential commodities, including food stuffs would be exempted from the ECC.

It said that even Government of India treats pulses as a part of food grains in the data published in this regard.