SC reserves verdict on pleas relating to grant of environmental clearance to projects
Top court is currently hearing afresh a batch of pleas including the review petitions challenging the Vanashakti verdict
The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions, including review pleas, relating to grant of retrospective environmental clearance (EC) to the projects violating green norms.
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi reserved its verdict after hearing a battery of lawyers, including Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, on behalf of the Centre.
The top court is currently hearing afresh a batch of pleas including the review petitions challenging the Vanashakti verdict.
The 2025 ruling initially barred the Centre from granting ex post facto (retrospective) clearances to projects that began operations without mandatory environmental approvals, but was later stayed to prevent the potential waste of thousands of crores in public investment.
On November 18 last year, a three-judge Bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai reversed by a majority of 2:1 its own verdict by an interim order and paved the way for retrospective environmental clearance to projects found violating environmental norms, saying that otherwise "thousands of crores of rupees would go in waste".
The apex court had held that numerous vital public projects constructed with nearly Rs 20,000 crore of the public exchequer money would be demolished if the May 16, 2025, verdict, which barred the Centre from granting retrospective environmental clearance to projects, was not recalled. It had ordered a fresh hearing on the pleas.
