SC sets aside NGT order allowing reopening of Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi

SC sets aside NGT order allowing reopening of Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi

1. Supreme Court set aside the order of the National Green Tribunal, which permitted the re-opening of the Sterlite plant at Tuticorin.
2. Sterlite is a copper smelting unit and is a subsidiary of the Vedanta Group. The plant had been ordered to be closed down by the Tamil Nadu government due to environmental pollution
3. The apex court held that NGT (a) lacked jurisdiction to entertain the appeal by the plant’s owner (b) It does not have the power to examine the validity of government orders and (c) It is not a constitutional court to employ unlimited powers to constitute a committee.
4. The NGT was established in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act,2010 for the effective and quick disposal of various cases related to the protection and conservation of forests, environment and other natural resources including the enforcement of any legal right related to the environment.