Supreme Court Upholds Atomic Energy Act, Bars Private Licensing

The Supreme Court dismissed a plea by Sandeep TS, a US-based physicist, challenging a provision of the Atomic Energy Act that prohibits private entities from obtaining licenses to deal in nuclear materials, citing potential misuse such as bomb-making. The court upheld the law, emphasizing the prohibition's policy rationale.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea from US-based physicist Sandeep TS, challenging a provision of the Atomic Energy Act that prevents private companies from securing licenses to handle nuclear materials, citing concerns about potential misuse, including making bombs.

A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud alongside Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra supported the law's ban on atomic energy licensing for private entities, highlighting that policy decisions such as these are beyond judicial intervention.

''Nuclear materials can be misused to make bombs, which is why the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, restricts their access,'' noted the Chief Justice. The court found the provision neither arbitrary nor unconstitutional.

(With inputs from agencies.)