NGT Goes Online: Now You Can Approach NGT From Any Part Of India Without Your Physical Presence

Environmental justice is a part of social justice. To give effect to mandate of Article 39A of the Constitution of India to enhance access to justice, NGT has commenced with online access to the justice system in addition to the existing procedure of E-filing whereby the aggrieved persons across the country may approach NGT through the online portal without the necessity of physically approaching the Principal Bench or the Regional Benches of the Green Tribunal.

Under the present dispensation, NGT benches are at five locations while violations of environmental law may be widespread. For instance, for violation of environmental law in Ladakh, the bench to approach is at Delhi or for a grievance in Lakshadweep, the application will have to approach the Chennai bench. Similar is the case for benches as Bhopal (for central region, Kolkata for the eastern region and Pune for the western region). It is now well known that the Tribunal as for the past more than a year been hearing matters of Regional Benches through video-conferencing at the Principal Bench due to paucity of Judicial and Expert members, to ensure that access to justice is not hampered due to administrative delays. In this light and in view of the increased environmental degradation and the rising concern among the citizens, the NGT has now taken a leap further to ensure that citizens are a part of environment protection and conservation. With the renewed e-portal, the citizens can file an environmental grievance before NGT merely by accessing the website and following simple steps of registering an application by payment of fee online as per the rules from all cities/towns/areas (not restricted to the Benches) without having to be physically present or be represented before the Tribunal.

The key features of the new system are:

1. Round the clock option to register an application/complaint
2. Complete process is online minimalizing costs and saving time
3. Necessity of filing multiple hard-copies of the case briefs has been done away to save paper.
4. Ease of access
5. Simplified procedure which is user friendly.

Where the litigant is unable to appear before the Tribunal either physically or through video-conferencing, the decision making shall be done by the Tribunal and the orders shall be made available and accessible online.

The need to protect and preserve the environment is more than ever. Due to absence of approach and accessibility, serious environmental violations go unpunished and environmental degradation in remote areas unacknowledged. The Online Access to Justice system by the Green Tribunal is a welcome step to ensure community participation and to holistically ensure environmental conservation from south of the border to east of the sun.

The new website can be accessed here https://ngtonline.nic.in/newsite/.

The user manual for the modified e-portal can be accessed at downloaded here https://ngtonline.nic.in/newsite/sites/default/files/all_documents/User Manual_efiling_NGT.pdf

The author is an Advocate at the Supreme Court of India. The views are strictly personal.