Supreme Court issues notice to Central govt on plea for establishing Indian Environment Service

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Central government on a plea seeking establishment 'Indian Environment Service' in light of environmental issues faced by various parts of the country [Samar Vijay Singh vs Union of India]..However, a Bench of Justices SK Kaul and MM Sundresh while seeking a response from the Environment Ministry, remarked that it has prima facie doubt as to how a writ of mandamus can be issued on such a prayer. .The petitioner Samar Vijay Singh, relied on a report submitted by a High-Level Committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) under the chairmanship of former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian in 2014 which inter alia, recommended creation of a new All-India service, the “Indian Environment Service”.The Committee had observed that necessary institutional framework needs to be created, building on the existing systems, to meet future needs. .The report had also proposed a National Environment Research Institute “on the lines of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education” to bring in the application of high-end technology in environmental governance.The report stated that environmental degradation is one of the primary causes of diseases, health issues and long-term livelihood.The plea placed reliance on the report while also highlighting the air pollution plaguing Delhi and other metros. "In the current situation, the air pollution level in the Delhi NCR region and other metropolitan cities has crossed the safe limits of breathing and made policymakers look for instant solutions to bring relief to the citizens," the plea said.The petition also prayed for setting up an Indian Environmental Service Academy to train officers for environmental law enforcement..Interestingly, a Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) rejected the TSR Subramanian Report noting that the three-month period given to the HLC for reviewing six environmental Acts was “too short”, and recommended that the government should constitute a new committee to review the laws.Senior Advocate K Sultan Singh appeared for the petitioner.