Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item Titled "Neglected Katora Houz in Hyderabad’s Golconda Fort Cries for attention appearing in ‘The Siasat Daily’ dated 25 May 2025". The application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled “Neglected Katora Houz in Hyderabad’s …
two incidents of illegal handling of waste oil have come to light recently, underscoring the fact that trade in the hazardous product continues unabated in India. That this is being done in utter disregard of Supreme Court (sc) directives
we are angry about the recent skirmish inside Kerala's forests, which has seen two people dead officially (unofficially, five). We are also deeply concerned. This incident is the latest in a purple trail of conflicts dogging the Ministry of Environment and Forest's (moef) drive to evict
The Supreme Court warned the state of Haryana and mine contractors of "serious consequences' if mining operations continued in the state's ecologically fragile Aravali Hills. A division bench said it was "extremely concerned' about the unabated illegal activities despite previous ban orders. The mining was continuing even after affidavits were …
for more than five decades, fisherfolk from the estuary of Hooghly river in West Bengal have used the uninhabited island of Jambudwip as a seasonal fishing camp. Today, a complex legal wrangle threatens to jeopardise their livelihood. The Central Empowered Committee (cec), constituted by the Supreme Court (sc) has observed …
The Andaman and Nicobar islands (a&n) are thought to be the emergent peaks of a submerged mountain range related to the Arakan Yoma range of mainland Burma. The islands include steep hills, and generally poor soil with little water holding capacity. Flat terrain is extremely limited and the larger islands …
Yet another instance of the timber mafia encroaching upon the rights of tribal people has come to light. Close to 100 trees on private tribal land were cut down in November 2002 in Chhattisgarh's southern district of Dantewada. The landowner, who died about a month after the felling, was paid …
Managing a village commons is difficult. But just imagine managing urban waste as a common property resource. This is exactly what the common effluent treatment plants (cetps) aim to do. Collect the waste of individual units from an industrial estate and treat it in a common location. Members
#1 Who is the polluter? What is their waste-typology? This is the first critical and often make-or-break step. Get the property rights regime wrong and it is clear that nothing will work, is the advice of common property managers in rural areas. It is the same for a cetp. Delhi …
If cetps are the answer, how do we make them work? The choice of technology, however important, is not the only challenge ahead. The key is to build a much stronger framework for common waste governance. In Delhi, for instance, a legal framework exists. But it is so convoluted that …
Writ Petition number 202 of 1995; Godavarman v the Union of India and others. This is the ‘forest case’ being heard in Supreme Court for the past seven years. With more than 800 interlocutory applications (ias) filed, the case will dictate the fate of India’s forests and an estimated 10 …
Pollution from small-scale industries has grown by leaps and bounds. So, building common effluent treatment plants (cetps) has become a fashion. The Union ministry of environment and forests (mef) has instructed state pollution control boards to set up cetps in industrial estates. Central assistance of 25 per cent is given, …
The Supreme Court has partially lifted its blanket ban on mining in the Aravalli hills. Mining is now permitted in some parts of the 250-kilometre stretch. The apex court has modified its earlier order providing relief largely to Rajasthan and parts of Haryana. The court had earlier categorically ruled out …
Judicial activism in the Supreme Court has created major reforms in the protection of human rights and has put the court in a unique position to intervene when it sees violations of these fundamental rights. In 1998 the Indian Supreme Court, embracing its activist role, made a controversial order mandating …
This is a report on the status of the implementation of the Supreme Court orders on preventing truck traffic from entering Delhi that are not destined for loading or offloading in the city. The Hon
The Supreme Court (SC) in a recent order has banned all mining activities in the entire Aravalli hills in Rajasthan and Haryana. The order follows the court's earlier directive in May, prohibiting mining within a five-kilometre (km) radius of Delhi (see: Down To Earth, Vol 11, No 12, November 15, …
The Supreme Court (SC) has asked the Delhi government to supply a status report detailing the steps it has taken to shift polluting industries away from residential areas. The bench, headed by Justice Y K Sabharwal, has asked the state government to file an affidavit on the progress made in …
