Overview

• On July 22, a division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne rejected a PIL and a writ petition filed by sprayer manufacturers and individuals.
• The bench found no error in the tender process for procuring battery-operated sprayers, nano urea, nano DAP, metaldehyde pesticide and cotton storage bags.
• Senior advocate V. R. Dhond argued the 2024 resolution served distinct productivity and value-chain goals separate from the 2016 DBT subsidy scheme, a view the court accepted.
• It called the legal challenges “totally baseless” and imposed ₹1 lakh in costs on the petitioners to deter litigation that stalls farmer-welfare initiatives.
• The judgment removes legal obstacles to Maharashtra’s special action plan designed to boost productivity of cotton, soybean and other oilseeds through state-led procurement.