[Urbanstudy] Karnataka HC sets up green Bench

[geetanjoy at isec.ac.in]

Karnataka HC sets up green Bench
21 Feb 2009, Times of India

BANGALORE: A green Bench: this could well be a first in the legal history
of the country. Providing legal space for green concerns, the Karnataka,
high court, in a notification on Thursday (February 19), announced the
setting up of the Bench to exclusively deal with environmental issues.

The high court which receives plenty of appeals on issues like mining,
water, forest and lakes, can now speedily dispose of cases as they will
directly come under the purview of this special bench headed by Chief
Justice P D Dinakaran. The bench will hold its sitting in the principal
bench at Bangalore.

The cases pertaining to the environment pending in other circuit Benches
of the HC will also be transferred to this Bench. The notification says
that all the writ petitions having bearing with pollution control, will
now be dealt by this Bench.

(Just to clarify that this is not the only High Court which has set up a
Green Bench as Times of India reports. There are four other High Courts
where you have a designated Green Bench such as Tamil Nadu,West Bengal,
Maharashtra and Gujarat. If anybody has information about other High
Court's Green Bench, please pass the information).


Thanks,

Geetanjoy Sahu
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment and Development (CISED)
ISEC Campus, Nagarbhavi Post
Bangalore-560072
Phone no.: 9980300573