National Green Tribunal needn’t wait for ‘Godot’ to save environment: Supreme Court
The Hindu
Exercise of power by it not circumscribed by receipt of applications, says Supreme Court Bench
The Supreme Court has declared the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) position as a “unique” forum endowed with suo motu powers to take up environmental issues across the country.
The court said the NGT need not wait for the “metaphorical Godot” to knock on its portal to flex its considerable muscles to save the environment.
“The exercise of power by the NGT is not circumscribed by the receipt of applications. When substantial questions relating to the environment arise and the issue is civil in nature and those relate to the Act, the NGT, in our opinion, even in the absence of an application, can self-ignite action either towards amelioration or towards prevention of harm,” a three-judge Bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar, Hrishikesh Roy and C.T. Ravikumar held in a judgment.
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The Karnataka government has drafted a comprehensive master plan for the integrated development of Kukke Subrahmanya temple, the State’s highest revenue-generating temple managed by the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department. The redevelopment initiative is estimated to cost around ₹254 crore and aims to enhance infrastructure and facilities for devotees.