{"id":59418,"date":"2025-11-19T19:26:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T13:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=59418"},"modified":"2025-11-20T12:28:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T06:58:29","slug":"sc-retrospective-environmental-clearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-11-2025\/sc-retrospective-environmental-clearance","title":{"rendered":"SC Recalls Order Restricting Government from Granting Retrospective Environmental Clearances"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Supreme Court&nbsp; recalled its May 16 judgment that had <strong>banned ex post facto environmental clearances (EC) <\/strong>\u2014 meaning you cannot start a project first and take EC later.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The May judgment<\/strong> had held that <strong>granting retrospective clearances<\/strong> in any form to regularise illegal constructions was <strong>clearly illegal.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The court had struck down a <strong>2017 notification and 2021 office memorandum (OM) <\/strong>of the Union government, which in effect <strong>recognised the grant of ex post facto ECs.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Huge public money at stake:<\/strong> If the May 16 judgment remained many completed\/near-complete buildings would have to be demolished then rebuilt after taking EC.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The public projects worth Rs 20,000 crore will have to be demolished if the clearance is not reviewed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The SC has recalled that judgment, directing that th<strong>e issue be placed before an appropriate bench for fresh consideration.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Environment Impact Assessment (<strong>EIA<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>EIA can be defined as the <strong>study to predict the effect of a proposed activity\/project on the environment.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>EIA systematically examines both beneficial and adverse consequences<\/strong> of the project and ensures that these effects are taken into account during project design.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It also <strong>proposes measures to mitigate adverse effects.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Significance:<\/strong> Protection of environment, optimum utilisation of resources and saving of time and cost of the project.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It also lessens conflicts by promoting community participation, informing decision makers, and helping lay the base for environmentally sound projects.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>EIA in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>1994:<\/strong> The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF), under the Environmental (Protection) Act 1986<strong>, <\/strong>made<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-04-2022\/environmental-clearance\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-04-2022\/environmental-clearance\"> <\/a><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-04-2022\/environmental-clearance\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-04-2022\/environmental-clearance\">Environmental Clearance (EC) <\/a>mandatory.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>EIA 2006 Regime:<\/strong> It is the governing legal instrument to grant green clearance for establishment or expansion of an industry on the basis of the expected environmental impact of the project.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It made it mandatory for various projects such as mining, thermal power plants, river valley, infrastructure and industries to get environment clearance.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, unlike the EIA Notification of 1994, the new legislation has <strong>put the onus of clearing projects on the state government<\/strong> depending on the size\/capacity of the project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Legal and Institutional Framework<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>EIA Notifications: <\/strong>Issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) using powers under the Environmental (Protection) Act 1986.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional Authorities:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Central Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC): <\/strong>For Category A projects (national level).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>State Expert Appraisal Committees (SEACs): <\/strong>For Category B projects (state level).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs):<\/strong> Grant environmental clearance at state level.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Categorisation of Projects<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Category A:<\/strong> National-level projects with significant impacts (e.g., large dams, major highways).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Category B1:<\/strong> Moderately sized projects with regional impact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Category B2: <\/strong>Small-scale projects with less impact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One positive of the 2006 EIA notification is its<strong> dynamism to accommodate changes in its provisions and processes<\/strong> as per the requirement of the changing times.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, this characteristic of the legal instrument seems to have been exploited.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Over 110 changes were made in just 5 years \u2014 most of them without public consultation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c3d2e0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"497\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SC-Recalls-Order-Restricting-Government-from-Granting-Retrospective-Environmental-Clearances.png\" alt=\"track change\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-59446\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c3d2e0; width:468px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SC-Recalls-Order-Restricting-Government-from-Granting-Retrospective-Environmental-Clearances.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SC-Recalls-Order-Restricting-Government-from-Granting-Retrospective-Environmental-Clearances-300x194.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>This flexibility has been misused <\/strong>and industries get approvals \u2014 even if they pollute or harm the environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Best Practices to Improve EIA Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create an independent EIA authority to avoid conflict of interest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthen public consultation, especially in local languages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensure scientific and transparent baseline data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regularly update the list of exempted projects based on environmental concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/legal-news\/supreme-court-recalls-own-order-barring-retrospective-green-nod-for-projects-10373321\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Supreme Court\u00a0 recalled its May 16 judgment that had banned ex post facto environmental clearances (EC) \u2014 meaning you cannot start a project first and take EC later.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>About<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The May judgment had held that granting retrospective clearances in any form to regularise illegal constructions was clearly illegal.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The court had struck down a 2017 notification and 2021 office memorandum (OM) of the Union government, which in effect recognised the grant of ex post facto ECs.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Huge public money at stake: If the May 16 judgment remained many completed\/near-complete buildings would have to be demolished then rebuilt after taking EC.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The public projects worth Rs 20,000 crore will have to be demolished if the clearance is not reviewed.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-11-2025\/sc-retrospective-environmental-clearance\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59418"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59497,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59418\/revisions\/59497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}