LUCKNOW, March 31 -- Taking a stern view of deaths and injuries caused by glass-laced kite strings, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to launch a statewide drive to check and prevent the manufacture and sale of 'Chinese manjha' and also make perpetrators involved in this illicit trade accountable as per law. The result of such exercise shall also be brought on record along with an affidavit of an officer not below the rank of IG in the director general of UP's office, the court directed. "Let the state respond in its affidavit as to what it proposes to do with regard to such manjha being used as such glass particles laced manjha can cause injuries, and in certain cases may result in death also," the court ordered. A division bench comprising justice Rajan Roy and justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary passed the order on March 11, which was uploaded on Monday, on a PIL filed in 2018 by local lawyer ML Yadav, seeking directives for a ban on 'Chinese manjha' in view of the recurring incidents. He filed newspaper reports showing approximately 10 persons injured by manjha and some fatalities too. Earlier on February 11, the court had directed the state government to evolve a proper mechanism to prevent sale and use of manjha. The high court had also sought a reply from the state government on the measures being taken to enforce the ban on the deadly string. On March 11, the state counsel informed the court that involvement of four departments - environment, commercial tax, MSME and law - in addition to home department, would be required to frame a policy as desired by the court in its order dated February 11, 2026, for which, four weeks' time is required. To it, the court directed: "List this case on April 20, 2026, amongst first 10 cases of the day. In the mean time, the state shall ensure statewide drive to check and prevent manufacture and sale of so called 'Chinese manjha' and also for making perpetrators of such crime accountable as per law."htc...