New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday refused to relax the countrywide blanket ban on manufacture, sale and use of pesticide endosulfan. However, the apex court sought views from an expert committee on allowing export of the existing stock of endosulfan.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia asked an expert panel appointed by it to explore the possibility of exporting the unused stock of endosulfan to other countries.

Earlier, on May 13, the Supreme Court had ordered a countrywide ban on manufacture, sale and use of the cheap and popular pesticide endosulfan, citing its toxic effects on humans and environment.

The court said that the Right to Life was above all other interests and considerations and it could not “take on its head” a single child getting affected by the pesticide during the period when the Centre-appointed expert committee conducted tests to determine endosulfan's toxicity.

The bench also asked the panel to consider how much of the endosulfan stock could be exported against the orders for supply of the pesticide from other countries.

The bench said the court would also like to know the steps to be taken in accordance with environmental norms, based on international conventions concerning endosulfan, and asked the panel to give its report within three weeks.