NEW DELHI: The Centre, battling shortage of food grains and double-digit inflation, got a significant relief on Monday from the Supreme Court, which imposed an interim ban on further export of non-basmati rice. This interim order came on the Centre's petition questioning the decisions of various high courts to allow rice export by firms, which had challenged the April 1, 2008, central notification banning such exports. The Centre said that if the exports were not stopped, it could lead to a famine. The Centre, through counsel Wasim Qadri, contended before a vacation Bench comprising Justices Altamas Kabir and G S Singhvi that the Centre, taking into account the shortage in food grains and rising prices, had on April 1 this year banned export of non-basmati rice. However, various rice exporters approached different HCs, which granted interim relief to them allowing sending out of consignments to meet their commitments to foreign importers. Pressing the panic button, the Centre moved a petition seeking transfer of all these petitions from various HCs to the Supreme Court and said the HCs had allowed the export of rice without "appreciating the fact that India is already suffering from price rise of essential commodities" due to shortage of food grains. "Rice, which as per estimates is not sufficient to meet the domestic consumption, if allowed to be exported, may lead to famine," said additional solicitor general P P Malhotra on behalf of the Centre.