Judiciary Faces Criticism for Environmental Case Handling Amid NGT's Pro-Project Rulings

Former Supreme Court judge Deepak Gupta criticized the judiciary's shift from proactive environmental protection to prioritizing procedural compliance, describing the Vantara case as 'stage-managed.' Meanwhile, a report analyzing over 100,000 National Green Tribunal orders from 2020 to 2025 found that the Tribunal favored project proponents in most environmental and forest clearance appeals, granting relief in nearly 80% of cases filed by developers, while only 20% of citizen and environmental group appeals received relief. This indicates a trend toward supporting industrial projects over environmental concerns.