Supreme Court Halts NGT Order Appointing Delhi LG as Chairman of High-Level Committee for Yamuna Pollution
The Supreme Court has intervened by staying the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) order that appointed the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi as the Chairman of the High-Level Committee responsible for addressing pollution in the Yamuna river. Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, along with Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra, issued a notice in response to a plea filed by the Delhi government, which challenged the NGT's decision made on January 9.
The Supreme Court's stay order not only suspends the NGT's appointment of the Delhi LG as the committee's head but also halts the entire order itself. The plea filed by the Delhi government argued that the NGT's ruling violated the Constitutional framework governing Delhi's governance structure, as well as the court's previous orders issued in 2018 and 2023 by a Constitution Bench.
The Delhi government emphasized the significance of interdepartmental coordination to effectively address the pollution issues affecting the Yamuna river and implement necessary remedial measures. It strongly objected to the NGT's grant of executive powers to the LG, asserting that such powers encroached upon areas exclusively under the government's jurisdiction.
Consequently, the government contended that the responsibility of overseeing the river's pollution concerns should lie with the elected head of government, namely the Chief Minister in this case.
TAGS: Supreme Court NGT order Delhi LG Chairman High-Level Committee pollution Yamuna stayed plea Constitutional scheme of governance elected head of government Chief Minister.
