Regulatory & Sector-specific
Environmental Law
Advice on environmental clearances and compliance, National Green Tribunal proceedings, and pollution and liability matters.
Environmental law affects almost every industrial and infrastructure project, through the clearances it requires, the pollution-control standards it imposes, and the liability that follows a breach. Enforcement now runs substantially through the National Green Tribunal, a specialised forum with wide powers. The firm advises businesses on environmental clearances and compliance, and represents parties before the Tribunal and the courts in pollution and environmental-liability matters.
Indian environmental law is shaped by principles the courts have firmly established: the precautionary principle, the polluter-pays principle and the goal of sustainable development. The firm advises within that framework, on both prevention and the response to a dispute.
Clearances and compliance
Industrial and infrastructure projects require environmental clearances and consents to establish and operate under the Water and Air pollution-control statutes, alongside forest clearances where forest land is involved. The firm advises on obtaining these clearances, on meeting the conditions attached to them, and on responding when a regulator alleges non-compliance.
The National Green Tribunal
The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 created a specialised tribunal to hear environmental disputes and claims, with the power to order remediation, compensation and the restoration of the environment. The firm represents project proponents and affected parties before the Tribunal, prepared on the technical record and the regulatory framework.
Principles and liability
The courts have read the precautionary principle and the polluter-pays principle into Indian environmental law, alongside the goal of sustainable development, so that those who cause environmental harm can be made to pay for prevention and remediation. The firm advises on managing this liability and on defending or pursuing environmental claims.
The legal framework
The principal statutes and the provisions that most often decide these matters. Statute text can be read in the firm's Legal Library; always check the current version at the official source.
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 · Act 29 of 1986
- Umbrella law — the central power to set environmental standards and regulate pollution and hazardous activity.
Water Act, 1974 · Air Act, 1981
- Pollution control — consents to establish and operate, and the standards enforced by the pollution-control boards.
National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 · Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
- NGT — the specialised tribunal for environmental disputes, with power to order compensation and remediation.
- Forest (Conservation) Act — the approval required to use forest land for non-forest purposes.
Key judgments
Grouped by issue. Each case is cited from the court's own record; open a heading to read it.
Precautionary & polluter-pays principles 1
Vellore Citizens' Welfare Forum v. Union of India Supreme Court
(1996) 5 SCC 647
Read the precautionary principle and the polluter-pays principle into Indian environmental law as part of the law of the land, holding that those who pollute must bear the cost of prevention, control and remediation.
Liability for hazardous activity 1
M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (Oleum Gas Leak) Supreme Court
(1987) 1 SCC 395
A Constitution Bench laid down the rule of absolute liability: an enterprise carrying on a hazardous activity is absolutely liable to compensate those harmed by an escape, without the exceptions available under the older rule of strict liability.
How we work on these matters
The firm advises on clearances and compliance from the start of a project, since environmental approvals govern whether and when it can proceed.
Matters before the National Green Tribunal are prepared on the technical record and the regulatory framework, not on generalities.
Advice on environmental liability and on the prospects of a claim or defence is given candidly.
Frequently asked questions
What environmental clearances does my project need?
It depends on the project, but most industrial and infrastructure work needs environmental clearance and consents to establish and operate under the pollution-control statutes, with forest clearance where forest land is involved. These should be planned early, because they govern whether the project can proceed.
What is the National Green Tribunal, and what can it do?
The National Green Tribunal is a specialised forum under the 2010 Act for environmental disputes and claims. It has wide powers, including to order compensation, remediation and the restoration of the environment, and to halt activity that breaches environmental law.
What do the polluter-pays and precautionary principles mean for my business?
The courts have established that those who risk or cause environmental harm must take preventive measures and can be made to bear the cost of remediation. In practice this means building environmental compliance into a project from the outset, on which the firm advises.
This note is general information on the law as at Jun 2026, not legal advice on any specific matter. The law changes; for advice on your facts, please speak to the firm.
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