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Informist, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Monday asked the Gujarat Pollution Control Board to decide Piramal Pharma Ltd.'s plea seeking to continue the manufacturing facility in Dahej, Gujarat, within one week. The unit was shut down by the state pollution board for allegedly failing to comply with environmental norms for waste discharge. The court, which refused any interim relief to Piramal Pharma, said the company was at liberty to approach the National Green Tribunal, which, if moved, should decide the matter, preferably within two weeks.

 

"This is about the alleged dumping of hazardous waste in the Narmada River. This is a source of water for the state and its people. You avail of your remedies before the statutory authorities and the green tribunal," the top court said.

 

In its petition, Piramal Pharma claimed that its unit in Dahej was a zero-liquid-discharge facility and was the primary manufacturer of hexafluro-methoxypropane, a critical intermediate for Sevoflurane - a life-saving inhalation anaesthetic used in general surgeries worldwide.

 

As the top producer of the material in India and the third-largest globally, any disruption to Dahej operations will trigger a cascading effect on the global healthcare supply chain, specifically halting downstream production at international facilities, including the petitioner's plant in Bethlehem, US, the company said. The abrupt closure and disconnection of essential utilities such as electricity and water place the livelihoods of a vast workforce at risk and threaten the operational integrity of the enterprise, the petitioner said. 

 

On Feb. 3, the pollution board had found that Piramal Pharma had illegally discharged spent hydrochloric acid into the water canal of Vayna village in the state. Consequently, the pollution board restrained Piramal Pharma from manufacturing immediately at its Dahej unit and directed the closure of the industrial plant with immediate effect. The board also asked Dakshin Gujarat Vij Co. to cease supplying electricity to Piramal Pharma. 

 

The board had asked Piramal Pharma to submit a bank guarantee of INR 1.5 million, valid for a year. In the event of failure to comply with the directions, Piramal Pharma will pay monetary penalties under the relevant statutes, specifically Section 41A of the Water Act, the board said. Challenging the board's order, Piramal Pharma moved the Gujarat High Court, which held that an alternative remedy before the National Green Tribunal was already available. Consequently, Piramal Pharma moved the apex court. The company also filed a plea before the state pollution board seeking to set aside the closure order. 

 

The board's action was taken against it without waiting for a response, the petitioner said. The closure order was passed on the basis of a summary allegation that spent hydrochloric acid from the petitioner's unit was illegally dumped at village Vayana at approximately 0220 IST on Jan. 31, Piramal Pharma said, adding that the allegation was "ex facie false". The allegations have been raised as a ruse to shut down the plant for extraneous considerations, Piramal Pharma said.

 

Monday, shares of Piramal Pharma ended 2.6% higher at INR 162.84 on the National Stock Exchange.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

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