In Re: 2 Million Lives at Risk, Contamination in Jojari River, Rajasthan 2025 INSC 1341
Environment Law ; Constitution of India- Article 21 - Environmental protection is not a matter of administrative choice but a constitutional imperative- The right to life under Article 21 includes the right to a clean, healthy and ecologically balanced environment - where environmental degradation threatens life, health and ecological balance, the State must act with urgency, competence and foresight, and constitutional courts are duty-bound to intervene when such obligations are not met. (Para 15) [Context: The Supreme Court set up a High-Level Ecosystem Oversight Committee to address severe pollution in Rajasthan’s Jojari, Bandi, and Luni rivers]
Case Info
Key details
- Case name: In Re: 2 Million Lives at Risk, Contamination in Jojari River, Rajasthan; with tagged Civil Appeals Nos. 5517-5519/2022, 8748/2022, 9057-9058/2022, 9010-9011/2022
- Neutral citation: 2025 INSC 1341
- Coram: Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta
- Judgment date: November 21, 2025
Caselaws and citations
- Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar, (1991) 1 SCC 598
- Virender Gaur v. State of Haryana, (1995) 2 SCC 577
- M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath, (2000) 6 SCC 213
- A.P. Pollution Control Board II v. Prof. M.V. Nayudu, (2001) 2 SCC 62
- Bandhua Mukti Morcha v. Union of India, (1984) 3 SCC 161 (referenced within Nayudu)
Statutes/laws referred
- Constitution of India: Articles 21, 47, 48A, 51A(g)
- National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 (Section 22; NGT final order dated 25 Feb 2022)
- Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
- Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973: Section 133
- Principles: Polluter Pays, Precautionary principle, Sustainable development, Inter-generational equity
Environmental protection is not a matter of administrative choice but a constitutional imperative.#SupremeCourtofIndia https://t.co/btzCSRVUS0 pic.twitter.com/byY4QYSqw0
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