Supreme Court's Genuflect to Environmental Law in Landmark Dissent

Supreme Court judge Ujjal Bhuyan dissents on the issue of retrospective environmental clearances, condemning them as contrary to environmental law. The judge emphasizes that such approvals undermine sustainable development and proper environmental jurisprudence. The court reconsiders the May 16 judgment that barred retrospective ECs, highlighting the tension between development and ecological preservation.

Supreme Court Judge Ujjal Bhuyan issued a powerful dissent opposing the approval of retrospective environmental clearances, citing their conflict with environmental law. He stressed the importance of sustainable development and denounced the recent judgment allowing such clearances as regressive.

The Supreme Court, in a 2:1 majority decision, revisited its previous May 16 ruling, which had stopped the government from granting retrospective ECs to projects breaching environmental norms. Justices CJI Gavai and K Vinod Chandran called for a renewed examination of the matter.

Justice Bhuyan criticized the review judgment as a setback for environmental jurisprudence, warning of irreversible ecological harm. He reiterated the need to uphold both ecological integrity and development, asserting that they are not mutually exclusive within the constitutional framework.

(With inputs from agencies.)