Battle for Sukhna Lake: A Legal Saga Unfolds

India's Supreme Court expresses concern over illegal constructions drying up Chandigarh's Sukhna Lake. The lake's woes are tied to bureaucratic collusion and builder mafias, with ongoing litigation since 1995. The Court questions why such matters surpass high courts, seeking solutions at a local level.

The Supreme Court of India has raised alarms over the diminishing waters of Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant criticized the ongoing illegal constructions allegedly facilitated by bureaucratic and political complicity. The lake's plight has been under legal scrutiny since a 1995 public interest litigation case.

A bench, including Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, voiced concerns about numerous forest and lake-related cases bypassing high courts to reach the apex court. The justices viewed many of these interim applications as efforts stoking protracted legal dramas.

The court has tasked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati and senior lawyer K Parmeswar to investigate and report on local issues that local judicial bodies could address. This directive follows the high court's 2020 order to demolish illegal structures endangering the lake's catchment area.

(With inputs from agencies.)