Green panel chief retires, successor yet to be named
National Green Tribunal ( NGT) chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar on Tuesday retired after completing his five- year tenure. His successor is yet to be appointed.
A full bench reference was organised on Tuesday at the NGT in court umber 1 on the occasion.
Justice Kumar resigned as Supreme Court judge after he was appointed NGT chairperson on December 20, 2012.
During his tenure as the NGT chief, he passed several landmark orders and judgements. These include the ban on 10- yearold diesel and 15- year- old petrol vehicles, the slew of directions for rejuvenation of the Ganga and Yamuna, the demolition of illegal hotels in Himachal Pradesh ( HP) and the ban on plastic items in Delhi, Haridwar and Punjab.
His recent order capping the number of pilgrims at Vaishno Devi to 50,000 per day and his direction to maintain silence on the Amarnath shrine invited ire from various quarters.
The first chairperson was Justice L. K. Panta, who was appointed on October 18, 2010. He relinquished the post in 2011 when he was appointed Lokayukta of HP.
The NGT was set up on October 18, 2010 under the NGT Act, 2010 for effective disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and forest conservation and other resources.
The NGT’s principal bench is in New Delhi , while its zonal benches are in Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai and circuit benches in Shimla, Shillong, Jodhpur and Kochi.