The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking wide-ranging directions to minimise earthquake-related risks across the country, remarking pointedly that such issues fall squarely within the government’s policy domain.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a petition filed by a litigant appearing in person, who claimed that earlier, only Delhi was considered a high seismic zone, but new assessments indicate that nearly 75% of India’s population now falls within high-risk zones.
The bench responded with a sharp rhetorical question: “So we should relocate everyone to the moon or where?”
The petitioner cited a recent major earthquake in Japan to argue for proactive steps within India. The bench interjected again, saying, “First we have to bring volcanoes into this country then we can compare it with Japan.”
When the petitioner pressed that authorities must make arrangements to minimise damage in case of a major quake, the bench made it clear that the judiciary cannot step into matters of governance.
“That is for the government to take care of; this court cannot do it. Dismissed,” the judges said.
At the very start of the hearing, the petitioner tried to introduce what he described as recently gathered relevant information. The bench declined to entertain it, noting that these issues remain policy questions for the executive.
When he referred to certain media reports to support his plea, the court curtly responded:
“These are newspaper reports. We are not bothered about them.”
With that, the petition was dismissed, and the court reiterated that seismic safety planning lies firmly within the remit of government authorities, not judicial directives.
