SC To Deliver Order On Sept 23 In Suo Motu Case Over Himachal’s Ecological Concerns
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will pronounce its order on September 23 in the suo motu case concerning the environmental crisis in Himachal Pradesh triggered by rampant development activities.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta reserved its verdict on Monday after hearing Himachal’s Additional Advocate General and Senior Advocate K. Parmeswar, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae.
Justice Mehta underlined that the court’s concerns extend beyond Himachal, to the entire fragile Himalayan belt.
“We will give you a brief order after summarizing everything, so that you can take specific instructions,” Justice Nath told the State’s counsel, who outlined steps already taken and the ecological changes witnessed.
Before rising, Justice Mehta flagged that yet another cloudburst had hit Bilaspur since the last hearing.
This year, Himachal, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir have all been battered by cloudbursts, floods and heavy rains, raising alarm over how unchecked construction, tree felling and mining are destabilizing the environment.
On August 28, a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan had warned that if reckless development continues, “the entire State may vanish in thin air from the map of the country.”
The court had also pulled up the Himachal government over diversion of green tax funds and reminded authorities that revenue generation cannot come at the cost of ecological destruction. The State was directed to file a report within four weeks.
The matter then came up before Justice Nath’s bench today, with the State’s 165-page report on record. The amicus, however, said while it touched on aspects ranging from tree cover to mining and glaciers, it lacked specifics and mostly proposed formation of a committee to study the issues.
The case, titled In Re: Issues Relating to Ecology and Environmental Conditions Prevailing in the State of Himachal Pradesh (W.P. (C) No. 758/2025), is being closely watched given its wider implications for the Himalayan region.
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