SC agrees to hear plea on NGT members' tenure before Sep 8

The Supreme Court has agreed to hold an urgent hearing on the tenure of National Green Tribunal (NGT) members before September 8, a bar association has informed. This decision comes after the association warned that three zonal benches, including the Southern Zone Bench and the Western Zone Bench, could cease to function if the court's extension expires on that date.

Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, agreed to expedite the hearing, which was initially scheduled for September 15. During the proceedings, the NGT Bar Association's lawyer highlighted that the Supreme Court had only extended the tenure until September 8. The lawyer emphasized that the NGT Act prohibits single-member benches and stated that, without further extensions or new appointments, the affected benches would be unable to function.

The counsel argued that the NGT Act does not permit single-member Benches, and without additional extensions or appointments, the affected zonal benches would be unable to operate effectively. The Chief Justice acknowledged that a new legal framework is now in place, but pointed out that appointments under this framework may not be made quickly enough to prevent the benches from becoming non-functional.

If the situation persists, the Chief Justice stated, only one bench at the NGT's principal seat in Delhi would remain operational until new appointments are made, potentially taking three months or more. This would leave three zonal benches completely inoperative, and all cases would need to be heard at the principal seat in Delhi, causing significant disruption to the tribunal's functioning.