Supreme Court Stays Modi Govts Ex Post Facto Environmental Clearance Decision

The Supreme Court has imposed a stay on the governments decision to allow ex post facto environmental clearance, prompting Congress leader Jairam Ramesh to call it a partial relief. Ramesh emphasizes the need to completely strike down the decision, which permits projects to operate without prior environmental clearances.

The Supreme Court of India has imposed a stay on an office memorandum issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) that allowed for ex post facto environmental clearance. This decision permits projects to carry out operations without obtaining environmental clearances beforehand.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh Reacts

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh responded to the Supreme Court's decision, calling it only a partial relief. He believes the government's decision should be struck down completely. Ramesh criticized the January 20, 2022, Office Memorandum, stating that it was a disaster that had been predicted.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan's Arguments

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the NGO Vanashakti, argued before the Supreme Court that environmental impact assessment mandates prior approval before any activity commences. He asserted that allowing ex post facto environmental clearance goes against the Environment Protection Act.

NGO's Plea Challenges Office Memorandum

The NGO Vanashakti filed a plea challenging the validity of the office memorandum. They sought a direction to the MoEF and state environment impact assessment authorities not to process or entertain any application for the grant of ex post facto environmental clearance.

The Supreme Court's stay on the MoEF's decision and the reactions from Jairam Ramesh and Vanashakti highlight the ongoing debate over environmental clearances and the importance of adhering to environmental regulations.