In Brief
The Supreme Court declined to stay the National Green Tribunal's judgment quashing notices for 1,350 new wood-based industries in Uttar Pradesh. The Tribunal had blocked the licenses pending proper assessment of timber availability. The State claimed surplus timber and economic benefits (jobs, investment), but the Court found the State relied on outdated 2010 data that did not account for modern machinery's different consumption rates. Applying environmental law's precautionary principle, the Court held empirical data on district-wise timber availability was required before granting licenses. The appeals were listed for final hearing without interim relief.
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