Environmental Law
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...
Supreme Court Mandates Its Prior Permission For Tree Felling Within 5 Kms Of Taj Mahal, No Blanket Exemption For Private Land
The Supreme Court has held that its 2015 direction requiring prior permission of the Court for tree felling in Taj Trapezium Zone will continue to apply for felling of any tree within aerial distance of 5 kms of Taj Mahal. A bench of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order in the MC Mehta case concerning tree cutting and other environment issues in the protected...
Supreme Court Directs NCR States And MCD To Appoint Nodal Officers For 100% Waste Collection and Segregation
The Supreme Court has directed Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi governments along with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to appoint high-ranking nodal officers to oversee the compliance of achieving 100 percent segregation of waste and 100 percent collection of solid waste in NCR.The Court observed that the amicus curiae Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh had rightly...
Expert Committee Suggests Before NGT To Regulate Number Of Horses To Protect Matheran Hill Station
The National Green Tribunal, Western Zone Bench, Pune, has taken note of an expert agency's report on the undesirable effects of horse dung presence in the Matheran Area, an eco-sensitive hill station in Maharashtra, and the measures to combat it.The report said, “It may be seen that current level of investigation reveals various measures to be taken to control the undesirable effects of...
Madras High Court Bans 28 Plastic Items In Kodaikanal And Nilgiris
The Madras High Court has banned the manufacture, storage, supply, transport, sale, and distribution of 28 items of plastic throughout the Western Ghats, sanctuaries, and tiger reserves, starting from the Nilgiris up to the Agathiyar Biosphere in Kanyakumari District, which includes the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal hill areas. The forest bench of Justice N Satish Kumar and...
Supreme Court Calls Fresh Report From Union, Bihar Govts On Steps Taken To Remove Illegal Encroachments From Ganga River Banks
In a matter pertaining to illegal encroachments on Ganga River banks, the Supreme Court recently called for a report from the Union government and the Bihar government detailing the current position of encroachments as well as the steps taken to remove them.A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan passed the order, stating,"We would like to know what steps have been taken by...
Supreme Court Directs Delhi Municipal Corporation To Launch Awareness Campaign On Duties of Waste Generators
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (April 8) directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to start a massive awareness campaign to inform the public about the duties of waste generators under Rule 4 of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.Rule 4 of the 2016 Rules outlines the duties of waste generators, including residents, street vendors, gated communities, market associations, and...
Supreme Court Directs CEC To Probe Violations Of Forest & Wildlife Laws In Tamil Nadu's Agasthyamalai Landscape
Concerned over encroachments and depleting forest cover in Tamil Nadu's Agasthyamalai landscape, the Supreme Court directed the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to survey the area and report violations of laws like the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. "Needless to say, that the forests form the lungs of the ecosystem, and any depletion/destruction of...
'Which Law Says Bank Accounts Can't Be Operated Without Aadhaar?' Supreme Court Questions Delhi Govt Over Denial Of Workers' Allowances
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (April 2) questioned the Delhi Government for not paying subsistence allowance to 5,907 eligible workers affected by Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) restrictions who do not have Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.A bench comprising Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked the Delhi government to address the Court on whether verified workers can be...