A very strict and sharp comment has come out from the corridors of the Supreme Court, which has created a stir in the matters of environmental protection and administrative laxity. While hearing important cases related to conservation of Aravalli Hills and illegal mining in the Supreme Court of the country, Honorable Judge of India (CJI promotion/assignment reference) Justice Surya Kant got furious at the functioning of the officials and the committee. During the hearing, when the committee repeatedly adopted a evasive attitude in the case and started demanding longer dates, Justice Surya Kant expressed his displeasure and asked in a very sarcastic and harsh manner whether he wanted the next date of the case to be given after his retirement. After this strong rebuke of the Supreme Court, there has been a stir in the administrative circles related to environmental matters and the court has clearly issued strict instructions to submit its final report within two months under any circumstances.
The Aravalli hills, extending from Delhi to Haryana and Rajasthan in the northwestern part of India, not only symbolize the geographical beauty of this region, but also act like a natural wall protecting the entire North India from desertification. For the last several decades, indiscriminate illegal mining, stone quarrying, deforestation and large-scale illegal constructions have posed a huge threat to the existence of this ancient mountain range. Despite environmentalists and earlier orders of the Supreme Court, due to administrative negligence at the ground level and political patronage, the conservation work of Aravali could not be done as fast as was expected. This is the reason why the Supreme Court itself took charge of this highly sensitive matter and constituted a special high level committee so that it could take stock of the ground reality and submit its accurate report to the court, but the slow pace of the committee has now completely broken the patience of the court.
During the latest hearing of the case, when it came to the notice of the court that the committee related to investigation and survey of Aravali cases was continuously being lax instead of completing its work within the stipulated time limit, then Justice Surya Kant’s anger reached the seventh sky. Addressing the lawyers and committee representatives present in the court room, he said in a strong tone that this kind of irresponsible attitude on environmental issues of such serious and national importance will not be tolerated at all. When the committee members indicated that they were seeking more time in the case, Justice Surya Kant sarcastically said that it seems that you people want this case to be heard on a date after my retirement so that the decision can be further delayed. Such blunt and candid comments have made it clear that the Supreme Court is no longer in a mood to show any leniency towards the elements playing with the environment and the administrative systems which delay the cases.
After this strong displeasure and sharp rebuke of the court, now there is a huge pressure on Aravali Hill Committee and the concerned administrative departments to complete their work within the stipulated time limit. The Supreme Court has made it very clear in its order that the committee will not be given more time under any pretext and in any case it will have to present its detailed and final report related to Aravali conservation before the court within the next two months. Based on this report, the Supreme Court can take some very strict and historic decisions in the coming days to stop illegal mining and unplanned construction works, which will help in saving the environment of the National Capital Region (NCR) and the surrounding areas. Experts believe that this activism of the Supreme Court will toughen the stance of the courts in other environmental matters across the country and will send a strong message towards accountability in the government system.