Environmental groups lose every merit appeal in NGT Jan-June while industry wins majority
A review of 119 National Green Tribunal appeals from January to June 2026 found environmental and public-interest parties secured no favorable merit rulings, whereas industry and project proponents won 30 of 51 merit cases.
An assessment by the South Asian Reporter on Environment Law examined 119 appeals decided by the National Green Tribunal’s five benches between January and June 2026. Environmental and public-interest parties filed 16 merit appeals and none were successful, while industry, project proponents and property owners filed 51 merit appeals and secured favorable orders in 30 cases, with three remaining at status-quo. Procedural issues such as limitation, jurisdiction and withdrawals led to the disposal of 52 appeals, meaning 44% were resolved without a merits ruling.
The same trend appeared in the Western, Central, Principal and Southern zones, where every environmental appeal was dismissed on the merits. Congress figure Jairam Ramesh urged the tribunal to “rediscover” its courage, and NGT chair Justice Prakash Shrivastava stressed the need for forward-looking, technology-driven environmental law at the recent ‘Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics’ conference.
Why it matters
The findings reveal a stark imbalance in India's top environmental court, questioning its effectiveness in protecting public-interest and ecological concerns.
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