CJI in a speedy mood Second Forest Bench to be set up

The Chief Justice of India is in no mood to listen to the excuses of the government. CJI S.H. Kapadia announced last week that the work of the apex court Forest Bench would be bifurcated by the setting up of a second Bench.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) is in no mood to listen to the excuses of the government. CJI S.H. Kapadia announced last week that the work of the apex court Forest Bench would be bifurcated by the setting up of a second Bench.

The Forest Bench headed by the CJI, which would also hear matters involving large infrastructure projects and also mining projects, will meet every Friday. Justices Aftab Alam and K.S. Radhakrishnan will assist the CJI. The Bench, which will commence its work this Friday, has already announced the causelist for Friday which includes French cement major Lafarge’s mining in the forest of Meghalaya, mining in the Aravallis and the matters concerning mining in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh involving the Reddy brothers.

The second Bench will be headed by Justice B. Sudershan Reddy and will be responsible for the implementation of the directives passed by the Bench headed by the CJI and will meet every Monday.

The CJI making it clear that the court will not tolerate any excuses and delaying tactics of the government has informed that the Ministry of Environment and Forest should be ready in advance with all the matters to be taken up for hearing in a chronological order and has said no adjournments will be given.

“We will start hearing the matter from next Friday onwards till we finish,” he said, releasing the list of nine matters in chronological order that will be taken by the Bench headed by him. Topping the list is the installation of statues of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, at a park in Noida which allegedly has adverse impact on the Okhla bird sanctuary.

The new Bench headed by Justice Reddy will also hear matters relating to saw-mills, construction of highways, illegal felling of trees along with matters relating to tiger reserves, bird sanctuaries and wildlife.