The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to ban the import of toxic wastes in any form as identified and declared hazardous under the Basel Convention and its different protocols.

A bench of justices Altamas Kabir and J. Chelameshwar issued the direction on a PIL filed by the Research Foundation for Science Technology and Natural Resource Policy raising the issue of banning vessels containing toxic wastes from entering Indian shores for dismantling at the ship-breaking industry at Alang off the Gujarat coast.