Supreme Court Forms High-Level Panel To Restore Jojari–Bandi–Luni Rivers, Slams Rajasthan Govt's Neglect

Criticizing State of Rajasthan for its inaction to act for decades to restore the Jojari–Bandi–Luni river system in Western Rajasthan, the Supreme Court on Friday (November 21) constituted a High-Level Ecosystem Oversight Committee headed by a former High Court Judge to prepare a comprehensive, time-bound River Restoration and Rejuvenation Blueprint for the entire river system that includes Rivers Jojari, Luni and Bandi and ensure its phased implementation.

“We are pained to observe that…the State should have acted spontaneously years ago, for ensuring around the clock compliances which is the constitutional obligation of the State Government and the concerned authorities.”, observed a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta while hearing a suo moto case registered based on the documentary title documentary titled “2 Million Lives at Risk | India's Deadliest River.” that exposed alarming levels of industrial pollution, governance failures, and severe public health consequences affecting nearly two million residents across several districts of Rajasthan significantly impacting the right to clean and pollution free environment under Art. 32 of the Constitution.

Although the State had taken some steps, the court questioned the timing of such steps, as they were taken only after a suo moto case was registered by the Court.

“While the status report reflects that the State of Rajasthan has, woken up from its slumber subsequent to this Court's suo moto cognizance, and has undertaken several measures, including closure of non-compliant/illegal industrial units, removal of bypass lines, demolition of unauthorised establishments, initiation of inspections, convening of high-level meetings, commissioning of expert institutions, and proposals for infrastructural augmentation, but at the same time, it is evident that these steps have been taken only as a sequel to this Court's intervention. While these measures are not insignificant, their timing is deeply telling. The long-standing environmental devastation afflicting the river system and the adjoining areas as a result of decades of continuous, unchecked discharge of industrial effluent and municipal sewage, suggests that sustained regulatory vigilance and timely administrative action were lacking in the preceding years. The belated flurry of administrative activity, triggered solely by fortuitous judicial intervention, underscores a prolonged period of regulatory apathy and institutional neglect.”, the court observed.

The court formed the High Level Ecosystem Oversight Committee, consisting of the following: -

• Hon'ble Mr. Justice Sangeet Lodha, Hon'ble (Retd.) Judge of High Court of Judicature for Rajasthan as Chairperson;

• Shri Pankaj Sharma, Advocate, High Court of Judicature for Rajasthan to assist the Chairperson;

• Technical Expert of repute in the fields of water management, pollution control and/or environmental engineering to be identified and appointed by the Chairperson;

• Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment & Climate Change, Government of Rajasthan;

• Joint Secretary, Urban Development and Housing Department, Government of Rajasthan;

• Joint Secretary, Local Self Government Department, Government of Rajasthan;

• Member Secretary, Central Pollution Control Board or his/her nominee;

• Member Secretary, Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) or his/her nominee;

• Managing Director, Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation Ltd. (RIICO);

• Director, Rajasthan Urban Infrastructure Development Project (RUIDP); and

• District Collector of Jodhpur, Pali and Balotra.

"The constitution of this Committee is necessitated by the scale of the harm, the complexity of the remedial actions required, and the imperative of ensuring sustained institutional oversight so that the directions of the National Green Tribunal, as well as those of this Court, are implemented in both letter and spirit.”, the court added.

Further, the High-Level Ecosystem Oversight Committee shall operate with the following broad Terms of Reference: -

A. The Committee shall oversee and ensure full, faithful and time-bound implementation of the directions contained in the National Green Tribunal's final order dated 25th February, 2022, including those issued based on the recommendations of the Justice P.C. Tatia Committee.

B. The Committee shall prepare a scientifically grounded, time-bound River Restoration and Rejuvenation Blueprint for the river system that includes Rivers Jojari, Luni and Bandi and formulate a comprehensive plan for its execution in coordination with the State Government and concerned authorities/agencies. This plan shall incorporate scientific, technical and administrative measures for remediation of contaminated topsoil, rejuvenation of groundwater aquifers, restoration of river ecology, revival of flora and fauna, prevention of future contamination, and long-term environmental monitoring.

C. In order to accurately map the sources of pollution, the Committee may conduct a comprehensive on ground survey of every discharge point, pipeline, drain, channel or outlet that leads into the Jojari, Bandi or Luni rivers or any of their tributaries. The Committee shall identify all legal and illegal discharge points, determine the nature of effluents released through each of them, and ascertain whether such discharges comply with statutory standards. The Committee shall also verify that all member units connected to CETPs have installed and are continuously operating Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) meters equipped with automatic cutoff mechanisms, and that the data generated by these meters is being regularly monitored by the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) and the CETP Trusts. It shall further ensure that treated effluents from CETPs are not mixed with untreated sewage or stormwater at any stage and that municipal bodies take necessary steps to prevent any such mixing. The Committee shall place before this Court a detailed report of its findings and the recommendations regarding the remedial measures required to be undertaken in this regard.

D. The Committee may, with the assistance of suitable expert bodies, examine the feasibility of making all existing SCADA meters fully online and integrated into a common monitoring dashboard to enable effective and continuous oversight and real time data monitoring of discharge of industrial effluents. The Committee shall also assess the feasibility of installing SCADA meters, or any other compatible monitoring devices, at all Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) so that the quantity and quality of effluent discharged from such plants can be monitored on a real-time basis. The Committee shall place its recommendations on these aspects before this Court.

E. The Committee may schedule and conduct audits including surprise checks of the CETPs, STPs, oxidation ponds, drainage systems, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) units and industrial primary treatment plants at appropriate intervals. The Committee shall specify compliance benchmarks and ensure that non-compliance is addressed promptly.

F. The performance audits of Common Effluents Treatment Plants (CETPs) and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) undertaken by educational institutions engaged by the State of Rajasthan shall be submitted to the Committee, which shall examine the findings, direct remedial measures and ensure that deficiencies identified in the audits are rectified without delay.

G. All action plans, technical reports, feasibility studies and remedial proposals prepared by IIT Jodhpur, MNIT Jaipur, MBM Engineering College, BITS Pilani or any other institution engaged by the State shall be placed before the Committee. The Committee shall evaluate the scientific soundness, feasibility and environmental efficacy of each recommendation and give its suggestions on their implementation.

H. The Committee shall assess the existing treatment capacity vis-à-vis actual industrial and municipal discharge and prepare a timebound infrastructural augmentation plan. This may include, wherever necessary, the installation of new CETPs or STPs, enhancement of existing capacity, creation of additional conveyance pipelines, adoption of 56 Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technologies, and establishment of integrated waste management systems.

I. The Committee shall identify officials, authorities or industries/industrial units responsible for non-compliance or dereliction of their obligations. Upon identification of such individuals and/or industries/industrial units, the Committee shall recommend appropriate disciplinary action, prosecution under applicable statutes, and/or recovery of environmental compensation, as the facts may justify. It shall ensure that the principle of “Polluter Pays” is applied effectively and that no violator is permitted to escape liability.

J. The Committee shall ensure that RSPCB publishes quarterly water quality data and that periodic engagement is undertaken with affected Gram Panchayats and local communities to integrate ground-level feedback into enforcement mechanisms. It shall prepare recommendations based on local grievances, field observations and stakeholder inputs to ensure that remedial measures address the lived realities of affected populations.

K. The Committee shall have full authority to call for records, issue directions to State and local bodies, seek technical assistance from national institutions including but not limited to National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CISR-NEERI) and ensure strict implementation of all environmental safeguards.

L. The Committee shall also be at liberty to examine and address all such matters as may be incidental, ancillary or consequential to the aforesaid Terms of Reference. This shall include any issue which, in the considered view of the Committee, bears a nexus with the prevention of pollution, restoration of the river ecosystem, augmentation of treatment infrastructure, or enforcement of environmental norms. The Committee shall have full authority to take such steps as are reasonably necessary to secure the objectives of the directions issued by this Court and to ensure that the environmental and constitutional rights of the affected communities are effectively safeguarded.

“The State and all concerned authorities shall act with the seriousness that the constitutional guarantee of life and health demands, ensuring that the environmental integrity of the region is restored and protected for present and future generations.”, the court concluded, while listing the matter on 27th February, 2026 for receiving the first status report of the High-Level Oversight Committee.

Cause Title: IN RE: 2 MILLION LIVES AT RISK, CONTAMINATION IN JOJARI RIVER, RAJASTHAN

Citation : 2025 LiveLaw (SC) 1131

Click here to download order

Appearance:

For Petitioner(s) : Mr. Shiv Mangal Sharma, A.A.G. Mr. Nikhil Jain, AOR Ms. Divya Jain, Adv. Mr. Anand Shankar, AOR

For Respondent(s) :Ms. Archna Pathak Dave, A.S.G. Mr. Gurmeet Singh Makker, AOR Ms. Harshita Choubey, Adv. Mr. Aditya Dixit, Adv. Mr. Udit Dediya, Adv. Mr. Varun Chugh, Adv. Mr. Rohan Gupta, Adv. Mrs. Archana Pathak Dave, A.S.G. Ms. Harshita Choubey, Adv. Mr. Aaditya Dixit, Adv. Mr. Udit Dedhiya, Adv. Mr. Varun Chugh, Adv. Dr. N. Visakamurthy, AOR Dr. Manish Singhvi, Sr. Adv. (NP) Mr. Chandrika Prasad Mishra, AOR Ms. Prashasti Singh, Adv. Ms. Harshita Bharadwaj, Adv. Mr. Ankit Pandey, Adv. Mr. Rishabh Sancheti, Adv. Mr. K. Paari Vendhan, AOR Mr. Siddharth Praveen Acharya, AOR Mr. Lakshay Sharma, Adv. Mr. Bhuvnesh Vyas, Adv. Mr. Milind Kumar, AOR Mr. Avijit Roy, AOR Mr. Saurabh Rajpal, AOR Mr. Azmat Hayat Amanullah, AOR Mr. Vinay Kothari, Adv. Mr. Mehul Kothari, Adv. Mr. Divya Pratap Parmar, Adv. Ms. Akansha Agarwal, Adv. Mr. Arpit Gupta, AOR Mr. Nishant Awana, AOR Ms. Rini Badoni, Adv. Mr. Mayank Chaudhary, Adv. M/s Nma Law Chambers, Adv. Mr. Raghunatha Sethupathy B, AOR Mr. S. Sabari Bala Pandian, Adv.