Executive failed to implement environment protection laws:CJI

Kochi, May 28 (UNI) Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan today said ehe Executive's ''failure'' to implement the environment protection laws in the country forced the Supreme Court to intervene to check illegal mining and misuse of forest lands.

Inaugurating the Sixth S Easwaran Iyer Memorial Law Lecture here, Justice Balakrishanan said till the 1980s, there were no environment protection laws in the country. Despite signing several international conventions, the country lagged behind in this area.

It was only the 1982 Bhopal gas disaster that prompted the first environment-related legislation in the country. But, the executive failed to implement these laws, forcing the Supreme Court to intervene, he said.

Observing that the judiciary was often charged with ''exceeding its limits,'' the Chief Justice said only when the executive members failed, the court stepped in to protect the environment.

''The judiciary is charged with exceeding its limits. But, what did the Executive do to implement the environment protection laws.

How many hectares of land were lost due to illegal mining or use of forest land for non-forest purposes by private agencies? The Supreme Court had to step in to protect these lands,'' he added.

He said the apex court's strong advocacy of environment protection laws had won it praise all over the world. Earlier, the Chief Justice honoured veteran Jurist and former Supreme Court Judge V R Krishna Iyer by presenting him a memento.

Thanking the S Easwaran Iyer Law Foundation for honouring him, Justice Iyer stressed the need for the bench and the bar to work together to uphold social, economic and political justice.

Regretting that violence, vulgarity and vanity were ruling the roost and gender justice was nowhere to be seen, he said it was important to uphold the rule of law as it co-existed with the rule of life.

Later, Prof P Leelakrishanan, Former Head of the Law Department, Cochin University, delivered the sixth S Easwaran Memorial Law Lecture on the topic ''Environmental Jurisprudence and the Kerala Scenario''.

Kerala Advocate General C P Sudhakaraprasad and Former AG M K Damodaran were also present.

UNI