{"id":353523,"date":"2026-01-08T22:33:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T17:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?page_id=353523"},"modified":"2026-01-08T22:33:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T17:03:13","slug":"answered-critically-analyze-the-recent-shift-in-the-supreme-courts-approach-from-expert-driven-environmental-jurisprudence-towards-judicial-intuition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answered-critically-analyze-the-recent-shift-in-the-supreme-courts-approach-from-expert-driven-environmental-jurisprudence-towards-judicial-intuition\/","title":{"rendered":"[Answered] Critically analyze the recent shift in the Supreme Court\u2019s approach from expert-driven environmental jurisprudence towards judicial intuition."},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Once celebrated as a global leader in environmental adjudication, the Supreme Court today faces scrutiny for diluting science-based decision-making, despite India ranking 176\/180 in the 2022 Environmental Performance Index.<\/p>\n

Legacy of expert-driven environmental jurisprudence<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Historically, the Supreme Court anchored environmental governance in scientific expertise and constitutional principles.<\/li>\n
  2. MC Mehta vs Union of India (Oleum Gas Leak): adoption of absolute liability<\/strong> based on industrial risk assessment.<\/li>\n
  3. Vellore Citizens\u2019 Welfare Forum (1996): judicial incorporation of precautionary principle<\/strong> and polluter pays principle<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  4. Reliance on expert bodies, Shah Commission (mining), CEC, NEERI, and MoEFCC committees reinforced evidence-based adjudication<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Emerging shift towards judicial intuition<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Recent stray dog and Aravalli hill cases reflect a departure from expert-led reasoning.<\/li>\n
    2. Interim orders passed without comprehensive ecological impact studies<\/strong>, carrying-capacity assessments<\/strong>, or public health data<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    3. Absence of stakeholder consultation undermines procedural environmental justice<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Risks of determinative interim orders<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Interim relief increasingly acquires finality, risking irreversible ecological and social outcomes.<\/li>\n
      2. In wildlife and urban ecology cases, temporary directions reshape governance without statutory backing.<\/li>\n
      3. The Supreme Court itself warned against such outcomes in State of Rajasthan vs Swaika Properties.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Undermining institutional credibility<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. Judicial substitution of expertise weakens trust in constitutional adjudication.<\/li>\n
        2. Bypassing statutory regulators like NGT<\/strong>, CPCB, and municipal authorities dilutes institutional coherence.<\/li>\n
        3. 2nd ARC cautioned courts against assuming executive or scientific roles.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Contradiction with fiscal jurisprudence discipline<\/strong><\/h2>\n
            \n
          1. The Adani Power SEZ judgment reaffirms strict adherence to legality and institutional limits.<\/li>\n
          2. SC insisted taxation must rest on clear legislative authority (Article 265)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
          3. Environmental cases display inconsistency by allowing discretion to override empirical grounding.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Threat to sustainable development principle<\/strong><\/h2>\n
              \n
            1. Judicial intuition risks distorting the balance between ecology, economy, and equity.<\/li>\n
            2. Aravallis: CGWB reports show severe groundwater depletion in NCR\u2014decisions without site-specific science jeopardise resilience.<\/li>\n
            3. Brundtland Report (1987): sustainability requires inter-generational equity<\/strong>, not episodic moral adjudication.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Governance and investment uncertainty<\/strong><\/h2>\n
                \n
              1. Unpredictable judicial directions deter green investments and conservation partnerships.<\/li>\n
              2. Renewable energy, urban planning, and wildlife management require regulatory certainty and predictable rule-based governance<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n

                As Justice J.S. Verma noted, courts must temper passion with principle; echoing CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, sustainable development demands judicial humility before science, not intuition-driven governance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Introduction Once celebrated as a global leader in environmental adjudication, the Supreme Court today faces scrutiny for diluting science-based decision-making, despite India ranking 176\/180 in the 2022 Environmental Performance Index. Legacy of expert-driven environmental jurisprudence Historically, the Supreme Court anchored environmental governance in scientific expertise and constitutional principles. MC Mehta vs Union of India (Oleum… Continue reading [Answered] Critically analyze the recent shift in the Supreme Court\u2019s approach from expert-driven environmental jurisprudence towards judicial intuition.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-353523","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/353523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/353523\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}