In Brief
The Supreme Court held that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) lacked jurisdiction to directly entertain appeals against original orders of pollution control boards when appeals were pending before appellate authorities. It ruled that directions under Section 31A of the Air Act are not appealable to the NGT, and orders under Section 18 of the Water Act made by the State Government are also not appealable to the NGT. The Court rejected the doctrine of necessity to allow leapfrog appeals. Since the NGT orders were passed without jurisdiction, they were set aside, and the respondent was directed to pursue remedies through writ petitions in the High Court.
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