Judgment of the Supreme Court in the matter of In Re: Zudpi Jungle Lands. A batch of applications involved a peculiar issue concerning the situation prevailing in the six districts of eastern Vidarbha region namely Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli. The issue pertains to the status of the …
The Guwahati high court has asked the state government to take necessary steps to preserve the Borsola and Sorusola beels (wetlands) in the city. The beels , which are situated in the heart of the city, play an important role in safeguarding the environment. The court has asked the deputy …
Former South Mumbai member of Parliament Murli Deora has pushed for stronger regulations against tobacco advertising in his public interest litigation (PIL) filed against the Union government and other tobacco companies. "We already have a law that deals with advertising, but we are going to ask for more explicit warnings …
Children exposed to their parents' smoking may soon begin suing them. A recently-released report by Eugene Arocca, a partner at the Australia-based Maurice Blackburn Cashman, says that the focus in tobacco litigation in Australia will soon shift from exposure in the workplace to family law and the hospitality industry. He …
The Supreme Court has held that land falling within the green belt area cannot be put to auction by development authorities since serious public interests are involved in it. The court also nullified an auction made by the Delhi Development Authority (dda ) in 1985. The dda auctioned a part …
A public interest litigation (pil) has been filed in the Madras High Court, seeking a direction against illegal tapping of groundwater in Tiruvallar and Kancheepuram districts. The petitioner, Bharat Cultural Association, alleged that illegal water tapping continues in 243 villages of these two districts, despite a government order prohibiting such …
The Supreme Court has issued notices to four major cigarette companies, including tobacco giants ITC Limited. The action follows a public interest petition filed by former Congress member of parliament who claimed that these companies were not displaying statutory warnings prominently while advertising their products in the media. A division …
The constitutional validity of the Patents (Amendment) Act, 1999, was recently challenged in the Supreme Court by a public interest petition. The petition alleged that the act was against public interest, public health and national interest. A bench, headed by Chief Justice A S Anand, referred the petition to the …
The Kerala High Court has passed an order banning smoking in public places in the state. While responding to a public interest petition, the court directed the district collectors in the state to implement the ban within one month. The ban will be effective in government buildings, bars, restaurants, bus …
After slapping a legal notice on environmentalists Anil Agarwal and Sunita Narain, seeking damages worth Rs 100 crore (approximately us $25 million) for an article they had written in Business Standard on the threats posed to public health by the current trend towards dieselisation of the private automobile fleet, telco …
The Patna High Court criticised the Bihar government for not implementing its order regarding the problem of water logging in Patna. The two-judge bench was hearing a batch of public interest litigation filed on this issue. The judges were irked by the fact that despite an order passed by the …
Courts in Delhi seem to be the only state institution fighting the menace of pollution. Now, the Delhi High Court, under a two-judge bench headed by acting chief justice Devinder Gupta, has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to place before it a report of action taken by various …
Responding to a fresh petition on fly ash management, the Delhi High Court issued notices to the Centre and asked the government to place before it the latest position on the proposed notification. The court issued notices on a plea by Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) seeking early finalisation …
The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation asking him to place before it the probe report on the adulteration of mustard oil which resulted in outbreak of dropsy claiming over 60 lives last year. The court also asked the Delhi government …
The Supreme Court has directed "The Commission Management Board' of the Uttar Pradeh government headed by its chief secretary to appear before it and explain why the court's order relating to the creation of a green belt around Taj Mahal has not been implemented. The two-judge bench was responding to …
The defence ministry violated its own commitment to the Orissa High Court when it test-fired Agni-II intermediate range ballistic missile from the Wheeler Islands. Only two days before the tests, officials at the interim test range at Chandipur in Orissa had filed an affidavit in the court on behalf of …
The Delhi High Court ordered the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to submit a status report of its progress on pollution control measures in the river Yamuna. The government had allocated Rs 479.56 crore for the Yamuna Action Plan meant to clean the river. The court also asked the Haryana …
The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Union government on a public interest litigation challenging the permission given for field trials of Monsanto's genetically modified Bollgard cotton in India and seeking a stay on all ongoing field trials. The rules for the manufacture, use, import, export and storage of …
The Union government has informed the Supreme Court (SC) that it had accepted the recommendations of the two expert committees on the safety, environment and the rehabilitation aspects in respect to the Tehri Dam Hydro-electric Project. The Court was also informed that the dam was safe and there was no …
Two separate public interest litigation cases were filed in the Karnataka High Court against Bangalore City Corporation (BCC). The petitions were regarding the responsibility of the BCC in clearing garbage and maintaining cleanliness in the city. Advocate S Reddy, in her petition, stated that drain water often overflowed on roads …
