Madras Hc Pulled Up

The Supreme Court has criticised the Madras High Court and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board for not appreciating the significance of the case against Sakthi Sugar Ltd and other units that pollute the Bhavani river and adjoining areas.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed the closure of the Shakti Sugar unit when an appeal was filed before it against the high court order. The high court had merely taken the word of the pollution control board and disposed of the petition.

The Supreme Court stated that the high court had failed to appreciate the "true significance of the matter regarding the need to arrest the unabated pollution".

The Court ruled the high court should not have disposed of the petition "merely on the consent of the state pollution control board".

Matters like this, which involve greater public interest, should not be decided merely on the consent of the board. "We are somewhat unhappy about the manner in which the board gave its consent, unmindful of the grave consequences which have been amply demonstrated before us," the order said.

The high court was asked to reconsider the matter with the two reports obtained by the Supreme Court from the National Environmental Engineering Institute. The institute assessed the damage to the neighbourhood and checked whether anti-pollution devices had been installed by the units. These reports have to be examined by the high court when it starts proceedings afresh.