Gujarat High Court Slams State Government Over Glue Trap Ban: ‘We Are Not Interested in Government-Fabricated Stories’

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court pulled up the state government on Friday during a hearing on banning glue traps adhesive boards widely used across the state to catch rats saying the concerned departments had taken no satisfactory steps to stop their production and sale.

The division bench refused to accept the affidavit filed by the government, calling it incomplete and inadequate. “Don’t throw balls in the High Court. You don’t even know how banned items are being sold in the market,” the bench said sharply, issuing an ultimatum to the Home Department and the Animal Husbandry Department to get their act together.

The court directed the state’s Chief Secretary to submit a detailed account of what action has been taken so far. It noted that government departments consider their job done once a circular is issued with no monitoring of whether those circulars are actually followed. The bench pointed out that even where offline markets face restrictions, glue traps continue to be sold freely on online platforms.

All District Collectors and the Director of Animal Husbandry have been ordered to submit immediate reports on the matter.

The court’s warning was blunt: “We are not interested in stories fabricated by the government. If the court has to take a strict stance to enforce its orders, it will be tough for the government.”

The demand for a ban on glue traps stems from the prolonged and painful deaths animals suffer after getting stuck in them. The court’s patience with the state’s failure to enforce the prohibition has now visibly run out.