HC agrees to hear plea challenging NGT's establishment

The Delhi High Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea challenging the establishment and jurisdiction of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and also the rules for appointment of its chairperson, judicial and expert members.

A bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath admitted the plea which has sought to declare NGT as illegal, invalid and ultra vires of the constitution.

Filed by advocate Ravinder Kumar, the plea challenged the constitutional validity of various provisions of of the NGT act relating to the establishment and compositi on of the tribunal and qualifications required for appointing the chairman and judicial and expert members.

The plea alleged that the fixation of the terms of office of the chairman and judicial members smacked of political intervention statutorily incorporated in the NGT Act to accommodate post retirement, re-employment extension and benefits to judges of the Supreme Court, high courts and bureaucracy.