No religion allows degradation of environment: Justice Oka

As Delhi-NCR witnesses a spike in air pollution after Diwali, former Supreme Court Judge Abhay S Oka on Wednesday said no religion allowed or condoned degrading the environment.

“Unfortunately, there is a tendency to damage the environment in the name of religion. But if we examine the tenets of all religions, we will find that every religion teaches us to protect the environment and to show compassion to living beings. No religion permits us to destroy the environment or cause cruelty to animals while celebrating festivals,” Justice Oka said.

Delivering a lecture on “Clean Air, Climate Justice and We – Together for a Sustainable Future” organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, Justice Oka urged citizens to stop polluting activities in the name of rituals.

“The most crucial reason for our failure to protect the environment is the failure of both citizens and the state to perform their fundamental duty under Article 51A of the Constitution,” he said.

He, however, refused to discuss cases on pollution he had dealt with, including the ban on firecrackers.

His comments came barely days after the Supreme Court relaxed the ban on the use of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR and allowed the use of green crackers for Diwali with certain conditions.