Time for humans to respect rights of nature: Apex court
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday said it’s time for humans to respect nature’s rights and adopt an “ecocentric” approach to development as it reversed a Telangana high court decision that allowed diverting 106 acres of forest land to a private individual who failed to prove ownership.
“The time has come for mankind to live sustainably and respect the rights of rivers, lakes, beaches, estuaries, ridges, trees, mountains, seas and air,” a bench of Justices MM Sundresh and SVN Bhatti said in the ruling. They expressed surprise at how the high court “graciously gifted forest land to a private person.”
The Supreme Court imposed a ₹5 lakh fine each on the Telantheir
gana government and the private party, the heirs of Mohammad Abdul Qasim. It allowed the state to investigate lapses by officials and recover the cost for facilitating “collusive affidavits” in the case. The state government admitted its mistake before the top court.
“It is a classic case where the officials of the State who are expected to protect and preserve the forests in discharge of their public duties clearly abdicated
role,” the court said.
The judges made a passionate appeal for environmental conservation, saying, “It’s the spirit of the forest that moves the earth. History shall not be understood from the jaundiced eyes of humans but through the prism of the environment, the forest in particular.”
The court emphasised that forests are crucial for controlling pollution, curbing climate change, and protecting vulnerable populations who would be most affected by deforestation. “The need of the hour is to transform from an anthropocentric (human-centered) approach to eco-centric (environment-centered) approach,” the ruling stated.
The case involved 106.34 acres in Kompally village of Warangal district that was wrongly classified as forest land.