The Supreme Court of India declined on Tuesday to entertain a public interest litigation seeking immediate judicial enforcement of flue-gas desulfurization emission standards for coal-fired thermal power plants, directing the petitioner to approach the National Green Tribunal.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant observed that the specialised environmental tribunal possesses the requisite statutory competence and technical expertise to assess industrial compliance timelines and atmospheric particulate dispersion models. The petition had challenged repeated extensions granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to thermal energy operators for installing sulfur dioxide scrubbers.
Counsel representing the environmental petitioner argued that toxic emissions from non-compliant power stations located in industrial clusters are contributing significantly to chronic respiratory illnesses and deteriorating air quality across northern India. However, the bench noted that balancing industrial grid stability with environmental compliance requires detailed empirical evaluations suited for the green tribunal.
Granting liberty to the petitioner to approach the National Green Tribunal, the Supreme Court instructed that any application filed before the principal bench in New Delhi should be adjudicated expeditiously on its merits without procedural delays.
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Sources:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/the-hindu-top-news-of-the-day-september-8-2026-armed-man-posing-as-pmo-official-detained-ahead-of-modis-event-in-mumbai/article71442771.ece