2025.08.23 (Vrindavan Today News): In a significant appeal to the Chief Justice of India, Justice B. R. Gavai, lawyer and environmental activist Akash Vashishth has urged the establishment of special and permanent “Green Benches” in every High Court across the country. His letter emphasizes the urgent need for a dedicated judicial mechanism to address environmental, ecological, and climate-related issues in a timely and effective manner.
Vashishtha acknowledged that the National Green Tribunal (NGT), established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, has emerged as an effective forum for environmental dispute resolution. However, he pointed out that the inherent limitations of the NGT Act pose serious hurdles for citizens seeking comprehensive justice. The Tribunal’s jurisdiction is restricted to cases specifically provided under the Act, leaving many environmental violations and grievances beyond its scope.
In contrast, he highlighted that the constitutional authority of High Courts under Article 226 is far broader. Unlike the NGT, High Courts are empowered to address a wide range of grievances—including those involving compensation claims for victims of environmental damage or personal harm caused by ecological violations. This makes the High Courts, according to him, uniquely suited to provide holistic remedies that balance individual rights with environmental protection.
In his representation, Vashishtha described the demand for such benches as the “pressing need of the hour”, underscoring the urgency of building a robust and permanent institutional framework for environmental justice in India. He argued that swift and effective adjudication of such cases is no longer a matter of choice but of necessity, given the scale of environmental degradation and the challenges posed by climate change.
Specifically, he requested that all 25 High Courts in India set up one or more permanent Green Benches, modeled on the Supreme Court’s own system of special benches for environmental cases. He further suggested that the number of Green Benches in each High Court should be determined by objective criteria—such as the total number of working courts and judges, as well as the population and geographical jurisdiction covered by each High Court.
This proposal, if accepted, would represent a structural transformation in India’s environmental jurisprudence, potentially ensuring that issues related to pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate impacts receive consistent judicial attention at the state level. By creating permanent Green Benches, the judiciary would send a strong signal that environmental concerns are not peripheral, but central to the administration of justice in the 21st century.
Akash Vashishtha has also been very active in protecting the ecology of Braj – Vrindavan through his legal intervention. He had earlier worked with the environmental group ‘Braj – Vrindavan Heritage Alliance’ and currently serving as the legal advisor to Braj Vrindavan Devalaya Samiti, a consortium of the temples of Braj.
