After 5 months of ‘hibernation’, Pune NGT bench to function from July 2
The statutory body will have justice Jawad Rahim as the acting chairperson of NGT, justice Sonam Phintso Wangdi as the judicial member and Nagin Nanda as the expert member.
After being out of action for almost five months, the Pune-based western zone of National Green Tribunal (NGT) will start functioning from July 2.
The statutory body will have justice Jawad Rahim as the acting chairperson of NGT, justice Sonam Phintso Wangdi as the judicial member and Nagin Nanda as the expert member.
The first two are currently hearing matters at Kolkata, the eastern zone based in West Bengal.
Justice Wangdi is a former judge of the Sikkim high court and is also a principal bench member of NGT. On January 31, the Supreme Court had prevented single member benches from convening the meetings.
Therefore, the western zone bench did not hear any matter starting from February 1, 2018.
“In the meantime, chairperson of the National Green Tribunal shall not constitute a single member bench, but a division bench consisting of one judicial member and an expert member,” read the record of the Supreme Court proceedings.
On February 13, justice UD Salvi retired as the acting chairperson of NGT. The chairperson’s post remained vacant until March 27 when justice Jawad Rahim was appointed.
“Justice Jawad Rahim shall discharge the duties of chairperson for all purposes, including participating in the selection process for filing up vacancies of members, until a regular appointment of a new chairperson is made,” the apex court order said.
Justice Jawad as well as justice Salvi have served as judicial members at the western zone before their appointment as acting chairperson.
For around three weeks before the Supreme Court order against single member benches, justice Jawad had single handedly heard matters at the western zone.
Nanda also happens to be the last expert member at western zone before it was temporarily shut.
However, he did not preside on matters after December 8, 2017, as he was transferred to Delhi.
Chief Justice of India Dipak Mishra, justice AM Khanwilkar, justice DY Chandrachud had heard the petition filed by the NGT (western zone) Bar Association.
The bar association was challenging the central government’s NGT (practices and procedures) Amendment Rules, 2017 that allowed even a single member bench to perform judicial functions.
The petition was against the ministry of environment and forest and climate change, the principal bench of NGT, the registrar of NGT (western zone) and the ministry of law and justice.
