Report No. 186

Chapter III

The Constitutional Mandate and Survey of Supreme Court's Judgments on Environmental Issues:

In a very significant manner, the Supreme Court of India observed in Tarun vs. Union of India (AIR 1992 SC 514) in regard to the importance of environmental issues as follows:

A great American Judge emphasizing the imperative issue of environment said that he placed Government above big business, individual liberty above Government and environment above all."

Such is the importance of the subject under consideration. We shall first refer to the constitutional provisions relating to environment and then to the judgments of the Supreme Court only to show the range of environmental issues that are today being handled by our constitutional Courts.