The Supreme Court on Tuesday recalled its May 16 judgment that had prohibited the Centre from granting retrospective environmental clearances to projects found violating environmental norms.

By a 2:1 majority, a Bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice K Vinod Chandran revived the legal mechanism that allowed ex post facto ECs for projects that had commenced or expanded without prior approvals under the 2006 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification.

“If the judgment under review (JUR) is not recalled, it will have serious consequences in terms of demolition of projects which are either completed or about to be completed in the near future and which are of vital public importance constructed out of the public exchequer. If JUR is continued to op

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