Supreme Court ponders forest clearance delay

Environmental activist Ajay Dubey has approached the Supreme Court after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) dismissed his plea against Adani Group's Mahan Energen Limited's forest clearance. The NGT cited a delay, noting Dubey's original application was filed significantly after the clearance was granted on May 10, 2025. The Supreme Court questioned the delay, referencing Section 16 of the NGT Act, which allows challenges within 30 days, extendable by 60 days with sufficient cause.

Dubey's counsel argued that environmental issues warrant the Supreme Court's extraordinary powers under Article 142, suggesting a technical ground like delay should not hinder a review. The proposed coal block in Singrauli, a region with dense evergreen forests, is slated for the felling of over 600,000 trees. This area was declared a 'no-go' zone in 2011 and serves as an elephant corridor, raising concerns about adverse impacts on wildlife, including leopards and elephants.

The legal team highlighted that the NGT calculated the limitation period from the date the clearance was uploaded on the ministry's website. They contended that the order was not effectively communicated to the public, and Dubey only became aware of it through local protests and newspaper reports starting in December 2025. The petition also noted the allocated area of 1397.54 hectares falls within reserved and protected forests, many of which are designated as 'no-go areas' where mining is impermissible.