In Brief
Three appellants challenged before the National Green Tribunal and subsequently the Supreme Court a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by a District Collector for establishing a petrol pump. The NGT dismissed their application after a joint committee found no violation of environmental guidelines. When the Supreme Court discovered that during pending civil appeals, appellant no. 3 had filed a parallel writ petition before the High Court raising overlapping grounds (violations of Petroleum Rules and municipal planning laws), the Court found this constituted suppression of material facts and initiated proceedings for improper motives. The Court dismissed the appeals with costs, holding that litigants must act with candour and obtain permission before initiating overlapping proceedings in different forums. The writ petition would be heard on independent merits.
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