The Supreme Court, while dealing with a writ petition, directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to constitute the Delhi Ridge Management Board (DRMB) with statutory backing under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and mandated a single-window authority for preservation, protection, and restoration of the Delhi Ridge and Morphological Ridge areas.
The matter stems from long-standing environmental litigation and has seen numerous orders on preservation of the Ridge since 1995. Several committee reports, including from the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), National Green Tribunal (NGT), and High Court of Delhi, indicated administrative lapses, incomplete notifications, and failure to protect the Ridge from illegal encroachments.
The writ petition relates to protection of the Delhi Ridge, a vital ecological area known as the “Green Lungs” of Delhi, facing rampant encroachments, urbanization, and lack of proper legal protection. The petitioner raised concerns over multiple bodies with overlapping jurisdictions impeding effective conservation. The petition sought clear statutory authority for the Ridge Management Board, removal of encroachments, protection of the Morphological Ridge, and better coordination among authorities.
The Bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran stressed the ecological importance of the Ridge as the city’s green lungs and the imperative to protect its pristine condition to maintain Delhi’s environmental balance. It noted the delays, conflicting orders, and inefficiency caused by numerous committees and overlapping bodies. It further noted that the absence of a final notification under the Forest Act deprived the Ridge of adequate legal protection.
The Court directed the MoEF&CC to constitute the Delhi Ridge Management Board (DRMB) under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, ensuring statutory sanctity and functional efficacy. The DRMB would function as a single-window authority for all Ridge-related matters, mandated to execute conservation, scientific management, ecological restoration, removal of encroachments, and prevention of fragmentation of Ridge forests.
The Court underscored that transparency requires DRMB to publicly notify rules, decisions, and maintain accountability mechanisms. Periodic reports must be submitted to the Court every six months. The Court reinforced the role of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), requiring its representative to be a DRMB member and report every three months.
The DRMB is now positioned as the primary authority empowered and accountable to protect Delhi’s vital green lungs for current and future generations.
Cases referred to:
1. Ashok Kumar Tanwar v. Union of India and others, 2011 SCC OnLine Del 5733
2. Delhi Development Authority v. Kenneth Builders & Developers (P) Ltd, (2016) 13 SCC 561
3. N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India and others, 2023 SCC OnLine SC 1951
4. N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India and Others, (2024) SCC OnLine SC 86
5. N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India (In Re: Gaurav Kumar Bansal), (2025) 2 SCC 641
6. C. Mehta v. Union of India and Others, Writ Petition (C) No. 4677 of 1985
7. Sonya Ghosh v. Government of NCT of Delhi and others, 2021 SCC OnLine NGT 608
8. Devinder v. Lt. Governor and Others, Writ Petition (C) No. 9965 of 2016
9. Madhya Pradesh High Court Advocates Bar Association and Another v. Union of India and Another, (2022) SCC OnLine SC 639
Amicus Curiae:
Mr. K. Parameshwar, Sr. Advocate [A.C.] Mr. Mukunda,Adv. Ms. Kanti,Adv. Mr. Shreenivas Patil,Adv. Ms. Raji Gururaj,Adv. Mr. Harish N. Salve,Sr.Adv. (N.P.) Mr. A.D.N. Rao, Sr.Adv. (N.P.) Ms. Aprajita Singh,Sr.Adv. Mr. Siddharth Chowdhury,Adv.
Counsel for parties:
Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G. Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Sr. Adv. Mr. Gurmeet Singh Makker, AOR Ms. Suhasini Sen, Adv. Mr. Gaurang Bhushan, Adv. Mr. Baij Nath Patel, Adv. Mr. K. M. Nataraj, A.S.G. Mr. Harish Pandey, Adv. Ms. Indira Bhakar, Adv. Mr. Anuj Srinivas Udupa, Adv. Mr. Krishna Kant Dubey, Adv. Mr. Piyush Beriwal, Adv. Mr. Neeraj Kumar Sharma, Adv. Ms. Mrinal Elker Mazumdar, Adv. Mr. Shashwat Parihar, Adv. Mr. Mukesh K Verma, Adv. Mr. Vinayak Sharma, Adv. Mr. Santosh Ramdurg, Adv. Mr. Shreekant Neelappa Terdal, AOR Mrs. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G. Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Sr. Adv. Ms. Suhashini Sen, Adv. Mr. Shyam Gopal, Adv. Mr. Raghav Sharma, Adv. Mr. Raman Yadav, Adv. Dr. N. Visakamurthy, AOR Mr. Maninder Singh, Sr. Adv. Mr. Nishit Agrawal, AOR Ms. Kanishka Mittal, Adv. Ms. Deepti Rathi, Adv. Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G. Mrs. Ruchi Kohli, Sr. Adv. Mr. Mukesh Kumar Maroria, AOR Mr. Jagdish Chandra Solanki, Adv. Mr. Suhasini Sen, Adv. Mr. Gaurang Bhushan, Adv. Mr. Guntur Pramod Kumar, AOR
