Rajasthan's Jojari River: Supreme Court Sets Up High-Powered Panel Led by Former Judge to Oversee Clean-Up
Supreme Court constituted a high-powered committee to address ongoing pollution in Rajasthan’s Jojari River
SC ordered formation of a high-powered committee led by a retired judge to monitor and control pollution in the Jojari River in Rajasthan
The Supreme Court on Friday constituted a High-Powered Committee headed by a retired High Court judge to address the continued pollution of the Jojari River in Rajasthan.
The direction came while hearing a matter concerning industrial and municipal contamination affecting the river ecosystem and surrounding communities.
The Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order.
On the last hearing, on November 17, the Bench had come down heavily on state authorities while hearing a suo motu matter concerning rising pollution levels in rivers across Rajasthan.
The Bench had expressed strong displeasure over what it described as administrative inaction despite clear evidence of environmental degradation.
“What has happened is under your nose and with the connivance of all authorities. There is no other way,” Justice Mehta had remarked, signalling the court’s frustration with the state’s failure to curb contamination of major water bodies.
Notably, on September 23, the Court had reserved order in the case for October 9.
Previously on September 15, the Court had initiated the suo moto proceedings and had noted that the contamination was affecting hundreds of villages along the river and rendering the drinking water non-potable for local communities.
The Bench had considered the reports of widespread pollution, noting that the environmental and health impacts were severe and required immediate judicial attention. It had directed that the matter be placed before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai for appropriate orders, indicating the possibility of constituting a larger Bench or forming a monitoring committee to oversee remedial action.
The Court had emphasized that the situation required urgent intervention from both the State Government of Rajasthan and relevant Central authorities to prevent further harm to the affected population and ensure that industries comply with environmental regulations.