In Brief
The Supreme Court affirmed the right to a healthy environment as fundamental under Article 21 and upheld the constitutional obligation to protect the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB). Rather than impose a blanket ban on transmission lines, the Court adopted an expert committee's evidence-based approach balancing biodiversity protection with renewable energy development. It expanded Corporate Social Responsibility to explicitly include environmental stewardship. Key directives: redesignated priority conservation areas in Rajasthan (14,013 sq. km) and Gujarat (740 sq. km); prohibited new overhead transmission lines and renewable projects exceeding 2 MW in priority zones; mandated strategic undergrounding, rerouting, and habitat restoration measures to be completed within two years. The decision reaffirmed that conservation must be proportionate, scientifically informed, and aligned with India's climate commitments.
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