SC reserves verdict on pleas relating to grant of environmental clearance to projects
New Delhi (PTI): 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.
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West Asia war is not NATO's: UK PM Starmer says he has British national interest in mind
London: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that he has vowed to act in the best interest of the United Kingdom amid the West Asia crisis, regardless of the pressure on him and the leaders of the other member-nations of the NATO.
The British PM was speaking to reporters on Wednesday, amid US President Donald Trump's remark that he was strongly considering giving up the US membership of the Organization, reports Deccan Herald.
Stressing that the war in West Asia was not theirs, Starmer said at the press conference at Downing Street, “We will not be drawn into the conflict that is not in our national interests. Whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I'm going to act in the British national interest in the decisions that I make.”
In the backdrop of Trump's fresh criticism of the Organization, calling the nations as 'paper tigers', the British PM stood up for the NATO, calling it the single most effective military alliance in the world.
Also, although the US President said that he had held doubts about the credibility of the NATO members for long and felt it was 'beyond reconsideration', Starmer pointed out that the NATO had kept the member-nations safe for many decades. “We are fully committed to NATO,” Starmer added.
