New Delhi, Aug. 5 -- Pollution control boards are constitutionally empowered to impose and collect restitutionary or compensatory damages under the Water and Air Acts for actual or potential harm to the environment - not merely punitive penalties - the Supreme Court said in a landmark ruling that redefines the powers of environmental regulators.
While setting aside a 2012 ruling of the Delhi high court that stripped pollution control boards of their authority to seek environmental damages, the court underscored that remediation and prevention, not just punishment, must lie at the heart of environmental regulation in India. P10
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hindustan Times....