‘Surrender Your Mobile First!’, Court tells petitioners in PIL against mobile phone harms

Bhopal: A group of public-spirited citizens who filed a PIL in the Madhya Pradesh High Court to control ‘harms’ caused by mobile phone usage has been asked by the Court to demonstrate the weight of their concern by surrendering their own mobile phones.

Rajendra Diwan and few others filed the PIL to highlight the potential ‘hazards’ of mobile phone usage, and to create awareness about it so as to protect children and pregnant women.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla passed the following order when the matter came before them :

“Learned counsel for the petitioners seek some time as to whether the petitioners are ready and willing to surrender their mobile phone so as to firstly protect themselves from the hazardous use of mobile before seeking directions in the matter”

The Court has granted two weeks time to the petitioners to express their willingness.

Now, the petitioners will have to ‘walk the talk’ by surrendering their mobile phones. Caught in the 'phone trap', the petitioners are reported to be engaged in discussion on how to comply with the court's directive.