LANDMARK CASE
Indian Council for Enviro Legal Action v. Union of India
(1996) 3 SCC 212 · Supreme Court of India · Environmental law
At a glance
- Citation: (1996) 3 SCC 212
- Court: Supreme Court of India
- Area of law: Environmental law
- In one line: The polluting industries were liable to pay for remedial measures under the polluter pays principle and absolute liability.
1 Facts
Chemical industries in Bichhri village, Rajasthan, contaminated groundwater with toxic sludge.
2 Issue
Who must pay for remediation of pollution?
3 What the court decided
The polluting industries were liable to pay for remedial measures under the polluter pays principle and absolute liability.
4 Why it matters
It applied polluter pays to make industries bear clean up costs.
5 Think about it
Why should liability continue after an industry has shut down?
6 Analyse it yourself
Read the full judgment from an official source or a law database, then brief it in seven steps: facts, issues, arguments, decision, ratio, obiter and significance. Always check the citation before you rely on it.
7 More cases on Environmental law
- A.P. Pollution Control Board v. Prof. M.V. Nayudu (1999) 2 SCC 718
- Arjun Gopal v. Union of India (2017) 1 SCC 412
- Centre for Environmental Law, WWF India v. Union of India (Asiatic Lion) (2013) 8 SCC 234
- Hinch Lal Tiwari v. Kamala Devi (2001) 6 SCC 496
- Lafarge Umiam Mining v. Union of India (2011) 7 SCC 338
- M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath (1997) 1 SCC 388
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