Environmental Law
'Entire Himachal Pradesh May Vanish; Revenue Earning Can't Be At Cost Of Environment' : Supreme Court Raises Alarm
Raising concerns about the ecological imbalance in the State of Himachal Pradesh, the Supreme Court warned that if unregulated development continues, "the entire State may vanish in thin air from the map of the country.” The Supreme Court, while noting that proper monitoring is required to check the diversion of green tax funds for unrelated purposes, observed that generating revenue at...
Kumbh Mela Waste Dumping Allegation | NGT Disposes Plea By Ex-IPS Officer As UPPCB Assures To Look Into The Issue
The National Green Tribunal Principal Bench on Tuesday disposed of a plea filed by a former IPS officer [Amitabh Thakur], alleging that waste collected during the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj was being dumped without processing at the Basawar waste site, about 10 km south of the city.Noting that the plea lacked prima facie material, Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Exper Member Dr....
Can Crusher Units Operate In ESZ Areas? Supreme Court To Consider
The Supreme Court on Thursday (June 26) sought the view of the amicus curiae in the forest batch matter (TN Godavarman Thirumalpad case) on whether stone/metal crusher units can operate within the Eco Sensitive Zones (ESZ) notified around protected forests.The petitioner, the proprietor of a crusher unit based in Kerala, contended that the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court in ESZ...
'Mining Mafia Strong Enough' : Supreme Court Slams Haryana Chief Secretary For Not Stopping Illegal Mining In Aravalli Hills
The Supreme Court on Thursday came down heavily on the State of Haryana over non-action against illegal mining in the Aravallis in Nuh District. The Court also noted that the mining mafia in the region was also protecting the erring officials involved. The CJI said : "It appears that the mafia is strong enough to protect not only its members but also the officers of the state government who...
Supreme Court Declares Maharashtra's Zudpi Jungles As Protected Forests, Directs Scrutiny Of Post-1996 Allotments
The Supreme Court today (May 22) held that Zudpi jungle lands in Maharashtra are forest lands, bringing them under the purview of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (“FC Act”) and stalling their conversion without prior approval from the Central Government. The judgment delivered by a bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice A.G. Masih held that all Zudpi Jungle land allotments...
Supreme Court Imposes Fine Up To Rs. 25,000 Per Tree For Illegal Felling In Taj Trapezium Zone
The Supreme Court recently imposed penalties up to Rs. 25,000 per tree for illegal tree felling within the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ), invoking its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution.Farmers who illegally fell private trees of exempted species to be fined Rs. 5,000 per tree as a compounding fee, with the timber returned to them. In cases involving restricted species or exempted...
Supreme Court Issues Contempt Notice To Chief Secretaries Of Delhi, UP, Haryana, Rajasthan Over Non- Filling Of PCB Vacancies
The Supreme Court has issued contempt notices to the Chief Secretaries of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan for breach of its order to fill all vacancies in their respective Pollution Control Boards (PCBs) and Pollution Control Committees by April 30, 2025.The Court observed that these states had committed a wilful breach of its earlier order dated August 27, 2024 directing that...
Valid District Survey Report Essential For Environment Clearance; Draft Or Lapsed DSR Can't Be Basis For EC : Supreme Court
The Supreme Court today (May 8) struck down the Uttar Pradesh government's e-auction notice for sand mining leases which cited reliance on an expired 2017 District Survey Report (DSR), which lapsed in 2022, and a draft 2023 DSR that had not yet been finalized. The Court held that, under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notifications, a valid...