समीक्षा
The Calcutta High Court ने Union Government की आपत्ति को खारिज कर दिया PIL के खिलाफ, जो retired IAS officer Meena Gupta द्वारा दायर किया गया था। यह याचिका Forest Rights Act के कथित उल्लंघनों को चुनौती देती है, जो Great Nicobar infrastructure project से जुड़ी है।
मुख्य विकास
- The bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen ने कहा कि “there can be no thumb rule” on locus standi in PILs, allowing persons not directly affected to raise genuine public causes.
- Quoting Rule 56, the Court ने Union की यह दावा खारिज कर दिया कि petitioner, a Hyderabad resident, lacked standing.
- The Court emphasized that large‑scale projects, even with an estimated cost of ₹72,000 crore, are not immune from judicial review.
- Objections based on procedural bars such as Order II Rule 2 CPC and res judicata were dismissed, as each petition arose from distinct notifications.
- The matters have been ordered for final hearing on June 23, 2026.
महत्वपूर्ण तथ्य
• The petitioner, Meena Gupta, previously served as Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and contributed to the finalisation of the Forest Rights Bill. She also helped replace “Primitive Tribal Groups” with “Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups” (PVTG).
• The Union Government, represented by the