Judges dwell on environmental laws at int’l conference

Mohali, July 29

Chandigarh University (CU) today organised an international conference on ‘Environmental Laws and Constitutional Rights: A Global Perspective’.

Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal was the chief guest on the occasion. The conference was attended by judges from India and other countries, over 100 advocates, members of different bar councils and pollution control boards, and around 400 students and faculty members of various law schools.

Justice BR Gavai and Justice Rajesh Bindal of the Supreme Court of India; R Venkataramani, Attorney General of India; Justice V Kameshwar Rao of the Delhi High Court; Justice Ritu Bahri of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice MS Ramachandra Rao, the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Swatanter Kumar (retd), former Judge of the Supreme Court and former Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal attended the event. CU Chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu and senior vice-president Himani Sood were also present.

Justice Antonio Benjamin, the senior-most Judge in the High Court of Brazil; Michael Wilson, a former Judge of the Supreme Court of Hawaii; Christina Voigt, an expert in international environmental law and a professor at the University of Oslo; and Justice Ananda Mohan, Judge, Supreme Court of Nepal, joined the conference through online mode.

Justice Gavai said the judiciary always played a pivotal role in the protection of the environment and passed landmark judgments. He said, “It gives me immense pleasure to state that I was part of the Bench which saved Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. I also had the privilege of hearing the matter concerning the heritage status of Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh.”

Justice Gavai headed the SC Bench that in January this year prohibited “fragmentation” or “apartmentalisation” of residential units in Phase I of Chandigarh (the first 30 sectors), citing the heritage status of Le Corbusier zone.

Justice Gavai stressed the importance of incorporating environmental protection principles in the Indian Constitution and international agreements. — TNS

‘Ready to discuss Manipur issue’

Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the conference, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, “Ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, PM Narendra Modi clearly said the guilty in the Manipur incident will not be spared. We want to hold a discussion on the issue in the Parliament so that the country gets to know the truth and what actions we have taken, but the Opposition seemingly does not want it.”