‘Move To The Moon?’: Supreme Court Junks Petition On High Earthquake Risk In India
The bench stated earthquake preparedness is a government policy matter, not for judicial intervention, and dismissed the plea, disregarding newspaper reports presented as evidence.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition claiming that nearly 75 per cent of India’s population lives in a high seismic zone, prompting the bench to ask whether the country should “relocate everyone to the moon.”
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta made the remark while hearing a plea filed by a petitioner appearing in person, who argued that authorities must be directed to minimise the risk and potential damage caused by earthquakes.
'Earthquake Preparedness Is A Policy Matter'
The petitioner contended that earlier assessments suggested only Delhi fell under a high seismic category, but recent findings indicated that three-fourths of India’s population now falls within such zones. The bench, unimpressed, asked pointedly, “So we should relocate everyone to the moon or where?”
He later cited a recent major earthquake in Japan, drawing another sharp response from the court. “First, we have to bring volcanoes into this country, then we can compare it with Japan,” the bench remarked.
When the petitioner pressed for government action to limit potential damage, the justices made it clear that such decisions fall outside the court’s purview. “That is for the government to take care of; this court cannot do it. Dismissed,” the bench said.
Earlier in the hearing, the petitioner attempted to introduce new information he considered relevant, but the judges reiterated that these issues relate to government policy, not judicial intervention. When he referred to media coverage to support his plea, the bench responded curtly: “These are newspaper reports. We are not bothered about them.”
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