CJI Surya Kant Stresses India’s Deep‑Rooted Commitment to Earth Preservation

Last week the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, took the podium at an international conference on “The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics” in Delhi. The hall was buzzing, journalists scribbling, and somewhere in the back a quiet reminder that this wasn’t just another policy talk – it was a deep‑seated cultural moment.

“From the dawn of civilisation, India has held an eternal reverence for Mother Nature,” the CJI began, his voice calm yet unmistakably impassioned. He went on to say that this age‑old respect is not merely a folk story; it lives on, echoing in the very pages of our Constitution. In his words, the Constitution is “not a mere political charter but a moral covenant with past, present and future generations.”

He pointed to a couple of specific articles that many of us gloss over in school textbooks. Article 48A, he noted, obliges the State to protect and improve the environment, while Article 51A(g) asks every citizen to do the same. “Those words are seeds,” he added, “but they need the nurturing waters of judicial wisdom to sprout into real protection.”

Speaking metaphorically, the Chief Justice likened the Supreme Court to a sprawling banyan tree of environmental justice. Its roots, he said, draw nourishment from India’s civilisational ethos, and its shade shelters the rights of generations yet unborn. Over the decades, the Court has fashioned a body of law that balances the twin imperatives of development and ecological sustainability.

Among the principles the Court has championed are the precautionary principle, the polluter‑pays rule, absolute liability, and the public‑trust doctrine – all woven into the broader canvas of the right to a healthy environment under Article 21. In practical terms, these doctrines put the onus on governments and industries to prevent harm, to restore what’s been damaged, and to answer for their actions.

“Progress without preservation is but a mirage that vanishes in the desert of ecological ruin,” CJI Surya Kant warned, his tone mixing gravitas with a subtle, almost conversational sigh. He reminded the audience that protecting nature isn’t just a charitable act; it’s a matter of self‑preservation, essential for the continuity of life itself.

The remarks came at a time when the Supreme Court continues to wrestle with thorny cases that pit infrastructure projects against environmental safeguards. Yet, as the CJI emphasized, the Court’s evolving jurisprudence aims to reconcile economic growth with the constitutional duty to safeguard the planet – a balancing act that, in his view, reflects India’s enduring bond with the Earth.