Court raps government as eco-tribunal remains headless

NEW DELHI - Delhi High Court Tuesday criticised the government for not appointing the head of the National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA) after eight years, and asked it to explain why court orders in this regard were not implemented.

“Why our directions are not being followed till date? There is no website, no address… Where will the appellant go with his problem?” a division bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Manmohan asked.

“You people (the government) are only bureaucrats and have not been able to fill the vacancy of the chairman of NEAA till date despite our orders,” it said.

It asked the government to file an affidavit by Oct 12, the next date of hearing, explaining why the court’s previous directions were not implemented.

The court had in February asked the government to appoint within three months the NEAA chairman.

The NEAA was set up in 1997 by the court to lessen the burden of environment-related public interest petitions on the judicial system.

Since 2000, despite several directives by the Delhi High Court, the government has failed to appoint a retired apex court judge or former high court chief justice to serve as NEAA chairman.

It was way back in 2005 that the court, following a public interest petition, had asked the government to clear proposals on the appointment of the chairman as well as technical members and reconstitute the authority within 45 days.