Supreme Court Settles a Recurring Environmental-Law Dispute: Land Allotment Is Not a Pre-Condition for Seeking Environmental Clearance In a significant ruling delivered on 07.09.2026, the Supreme Court of India (J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, JJ.) in M/s Punahchakran Pvt. Ltd. v. Indotech Waste Solution & Ors. , 2026 INSC 956, Civil Appeal No. 7367 of 2024, clarified several questions that regularly trouble project proponents, pollution control boards, and environmental litigators alike particularly in cases concerning Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facilities (CBWTFs). Key takeaways: 🔹 CPCB's Revised Guidelines, 2016 are mandatory non-publication in the Official Gazette does not dilute their binding force where publication on the CPCB's official website is otherwise reasonable and the parent statute/rules prescribe no fixed mode. 🔹 Land allotment ≠ pre-condition for Form 1 under Clause 6 of the EIA Notification, 2006, mere identification of a prospectiv...

AI in Indian Courts: What the Supreme Court's Draft Regulations 2026 Mean for Litigants and Advocates The Supreme Court of India, through its Artificial Intelligence Committee, has published a preliminary draft titled Regulations for Use of Artificial Intelligence in Courts, 2026, inviting comments from stakeholders and the public until 20 June 2026. For litigants, advocates, and anyone navigating the Delhi district courts or the Delhi High Court, this is a significant development worth understanding. Why these regulations matter For the first time, India is moving toward a structured framework governing how AI tools may be used within the judicial system. The draft rests on five core principles: human primacy, transparency, accountability, data protection, and judicial independence. In plain terms, AI is permitted to assist the courts — but never to decide. The draft makes clear that the ultimate authority over questions of law, fact, and justice remains exclusively with human ju...