In Brief
This writ petition concerned the delay in notifying the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2016 and measures to protect India's wetlands. The Court held that the Rules must be notified by 30 June 2017. It further directed that the protective principles of Rule 4—prohibiting reclamation, hazardous industries, and unrestricted construction—be immediately applied to all 2,01,503 mapped wetlands, even while formal notification processes continue. The Court also required the Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority to be renewed and to finalise decisions on 1,683 pending proposals by 31 March 2017, recognizing that wetland conservation is of immense ecological importance and that delays risked the disappearance of wetlands."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.