Environmental Law

Supreme Court sets aside NGT orders shutting formaldehyde units that lacked prior environmental clearance, applying Pahwa Plastics after Vanashakti's recall, with a one-month EC deadline.

The Supreme Court set aside a nine-year-old NGT finding against Art of Living's World Culture Festival, holding that polluter-pays liability needs a proven polluter, not just a damaged floodplain.

The Supreme Court's intervention in India's Ethanol Blending Policy goes beyond a contractual dispute, raising critical questions about regulatory certainty, energy security, judicial oversight, and the future of the country's clean fuel transition.

The Supreme Court's recent interventions in cases involving Kerala's captive elephant Raman and India's stray dogs have reignited debate on animal welfare in India. Beyond individual disputes, these rulings expose enforcement gaps and redefine the legal meaning of compassion.

In a landmark balancing act between infrastructure and ecology, the Supreme Court has cleared the path for the Versova Bhayandar coastal road project, mandating a decade of environmental monitoring and massive compensatory afforestation.

The Supreme Court reinforces that NGT adjudicatory powers and natural justice cannot be compromised, holding that tribunals cannot delegate decision-making to committees or bypass fair hearing.

In a landmark ruling on Supreme Court cement grinding unit reclassification, the Court quashed an unlawful Change of Land Use and set aside CPCB’s downgrade from Red to Orange category. The judgment reinforces strict statutory compliance under the PRTPD Act and strengthens constitutional environmental protections under Article 21.

On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court declared increasing green cover as the most effective remedy for Delhi's air crisis. By forming an expert committee to oversee afforestation, the Court has formally linked ecological restoration to the constitutional right to clean air under Article 21.

The Supreme Court upholds the NGT’s power to compute environmental compensation using project cost and CPCB methodology, subject to proportionality and reasoned application.