Admissions Open
Admissions Open
Environment plays a pivotal role in human life as well as in the development of society. With growing technological advancement and industrialization, the purity of the environment has been threatened to an alarming extent. The need to protect and improve the environment is essential for the peaceful survival of mankind and other life forms on planet Earth. As part of its campaign on green environment, Indian Parliament has enacted nation-wide comprehensive laws. After the Stockholm Conference in 1974, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was passed for the purpose of prevention and control of water pollution. From this period onwards, the Central Government has been considered as highly environmentally active. In 1976, the Constitution of India was amended to insert a separate fundamental duties chapter. In 1980s, many eco-specific organizations were created. The Forest (Conservation) Act was passed in 1980 for the conservation of forests and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 was enacted to give effect the decisions of the Stockholm Conference.
The Constitution of India originally adopted, did not contain any direct and specific provision regarding the protection of natural environment. But now the right to live in a clean and healthy environment has attained the status of a fundamental right, the violation of which is not permitted. Prior to this period, people had enjoyed this right not as a constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right but as a right recognised and enforced by the courts under different laws like Law of Torts, Indian Penal Code, Civil Procedure Code, Criminal Procedure Code etc. In today’s emerging jurisprudence, environmental rights which encompass a group of collective rights are described as third generation rights. Thus, inherent right to life shall be protected by law.