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...

Supreme Court's Verdict on Circumstantial Evidence In the intricate tapestry of evidence law, where shadows of doubt can unravel convictions, the Supreme Court of India recently delivered a landmark ruling that reaffirms the sanctity of procedural rigor. On October 6, 2025, in Nazim and Ors. v. The State of Uttarakhand (Criminal Appeal No. 715 of 2018), a bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and S.C. Sharma acquitted three appellants in a grisly child murder case, spotlighting the frailties of circumstantial evidence , the "last seen" theory, the absence of Test Identification Parades (TIP), and the pivotal role of scientific evidence . This decision, authored by Justice S.C. Sharma, serves as a clarion call for courts to tread cautiously, ensuring that suspicion never masquerades as proof. As India grapples with evolving forensic capabilities and witness vulnerabilities, this judgment underscores the enduring principles governing convictions built on inference rat...

Dear Friends, In the wake of the recent floods, countless families are in urgent need of relief and support. The New Delhi District Legal Services Authority (DLSA)—a statutory body under the Legal Services Authorities Act—is organizing a donation drive this festival season to help those affected. How You Can Help:   - Please contribute new and unused items such as clothes, shoes, dry ration, hygiene products, bedsheets, blankets, and packaged food items (biscuits, tea, sugar, etc.), strictly as per DLSA guidelines.  - Contributions may be delivered at our office:    107-B, Vikrant Enclave, Mayapuri, New Delhi - 110064 Please Note:   From our office, all collected contributions will be delivered to the Office of New Delhi DLSA, Room No. 302, 3rd Floor, Patiala House Courts Complex, New Delhi, up to 19th September 2025. Let’s join hands to make a meaningful impact on the lives of flood victims and others in distress. Your generosity and support can bring hope and...