Supreme Court Scrutinizes NGT’s Compensation Mechanism: Balancing Environmental Accountability and Natural Justice
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The Supreme Court has stayed a National Green Tribunal order imposing a ₹12 crore penalty on the Haryana government for solid waste management lapses. The court will examine the scientific basis of the compensation and whether the principles of natural justice were followed.
The Supreme Court of India recently stayed an order passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that imposed an environmental compensation of ₹12 crore on the State of Haryana. The penalty was originally levied due to the state's failure to manage solid waste effectively, leading to environmental degradation. However, the apex court’s intervention highlights a critical juncture in environmental jurisprudence, focusing on the methodology of quantifying damages and the procedural fairness of quasi-judicial bodies.
The NGT has increasingly utilized the 'Polluter Pays Principle' to hold state governments accountable for lapses in sewage and solid waste management. In several recent instances, the Tribunal has imposed multi-crore penalties to be used for environmental restoration. In the Haryana case, the state government challenged the order on the grounds that the compensation was calculated without a robust scientific assessment and that the state was not afforded an adequate opportunity to present its case, thereby violating the principles of natural justice.
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