PIL against online MPCB hearings: HC asks Maha to respond

The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Maharashtra government to file an affidavit in response to a petition against online hearings conducted by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).

The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Maharashtra government to file an affidavit in response to a petition against online hearings conducted by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). A division bench of Justices Ravi Deshpande and Amit Borkar, however, refused to stay the hearings being conducted.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Sudhir Paliwal, convener of Vidharbha Environment Action Group, through his advocate Tushar Mandlekar against online hearing being conducted by the MPCB for grant of environmental clearance for sand mining projects. The petitioner claimed online public hearings using Zoom app were being conducted across the state during the lockdown so as to prevent affected persons from rural areas to raise their objections.

The widest possible participation of affected persons and stakeholders is not possible in such hearings as most people from rural areas were neither literate nor "tech savvy", it said. Mandlekar said such hearings are violative of EIA Notification 2006 issued under section 5 of Environmental Rules 1986.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on June 30. It allowed such online hearings to continue but said they shall be subject to the final outcome of the petition.

PTI CLS SP BNM BNM.