Citizens write to CJI, express ‘pain’ over remarks on environmental petitions

By A Representative 

A group of concerned citizens has written to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, expressing deep disappointment over his recent observations on environmental litigation, which they say belittle their constitutional duty to protect the natural world.

The letter, sent by Mumbai-based Zoru Bhathena and co-signed by eight others including actor-environmentalist Dia Mirza, refers to two media reports: a Bar and Bench piece from March 7, 2026, quoting the CJI as saying that courts “must not suspect every development project of having environmental concerns,” and a Times of India report from May 12, 2026, headlined “SC: Show us one plan not opposed by green lobby.” In the latter, the CJI is reported to have told a petitioner opposing the expansion of Pipavav port in Gujarat: “You want to stall everything in the name of the environment. How can the country develop without infrastructure?”

The citizens’ letter, marked as received by Speed Post and email, states that they are “pained and disheartened” by the remarks. It invokes Article 48A of the Constitution, which directs the State to protect and improve the environment, and Article 51A(g), which casts a fundamental duty on every citizen to do the same. The writers argue that development and conservation must go hand in hand, and that speaking up against lawless destruction is a constitutional obligation, not an obstruction.

“It is the prerogative of the Judiciary to look into environmental complaints and deal with them on merit,” the letter says. “But to belittle the efforts of citizens to stand up and speak up against the mighty state, in performance of their constitutional duties, is deeply hurtful and disheartening.”

The signatories have requested the CJI to allow citizens to perform their environmental duties “free from any aspersions, for the larger public good.” Along with Bhathena and Mirza, the letter is signed by Bhavreen Kandhari, Ravindra Sinha, Dr. Ashok Kaushal, Anasuya Kale Chhabrani, Pushkar Kulkarni, Himanshu Thakkar, and Dattatraya T. Devare.