NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India agreed to examine a challenge to the constitutional validity of the definition of 'wetlands' under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
The petition alleges that the rules arbitrarily exclude most human-made, artificial, and historically developed wetlands from environmental protection while diluting accountability through decentralized oversight.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued a formal notice to the Union Government on a petition filed jointly by a group of environmental activists and professionals led by Ravindra Sinha.
The petitioners contend that the definition of 'wetlands' under Rule 2(g) of the 2017 law is inconsistent with India’s binding international obligations under the 1971 Ramsar Convention, which explicitly includes both natural and artificial wetlands, whether permanent or temporary, without distinction.