CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Strictly, speaking no constitution deals with a matter such as environmental protection. Because basically any constitution contains only the rules of laws in relation to the power structure, allocation, and manner of exercise. Besides Indian Constitution is already a bulky document and brevity is the character of an ideal Constitution. Hence from the point of view .of the principles of the constitutional law as well as, the length of the Constitution it was impossible to have any such provision safeguarding the healthy environment. Therefore till the subsequent amendments the constitutional text of India, was without any specific provision for the protection and promotion of the environment. However the seeds of such provision could be seen in Article 47 of the constitution which command the State to improve the standard of living and public health. To fulfill this constitutional goal, its necessary that the State should provide pollution free environment.

The United Nations Conference on Human Environment held on in June, 1972 at Stockholm placed the issue of the protection of biosphere on the official agenda of international policy and law. The agenda of the conference consisted of the following :

(a)      Planning and management of human settlements for environmental
quality.                   ,

(b)      Environmental aspects of natural resources management.

(c)      Identifications and control of pollutants and nuisances of broad international significance.

(d)      Educational, Information, Social and cultural aspects of environmental issues.

(e)      Development and environment.

(f)      International Organisational implications of action proposals.

The Stockholm Conference agendas, proclamations, principles and subsequent global,

environment protection efforts shows the words realisation of the need to preserve

and protect the natural environment. The Conference acclaimed man's fundamental

right to adequate conditions of life in an environment of a quality that permitted a

life off dignity and well-being.

In United Nations Conference on Human Environment, at Stockholm the then Prime Minister of India Mrs. Gandhi while displaying the nations commitment to the protection of environment. said,

“The natural resources of the earth, including the air, water, land flora and fauna and especially representative sample of the nature ecosystem must be safeguard for the benefits of present and future generations through careful planning or management, as appropriate... Nature conservation including wildlife must therefore receive importance in planning for economic development".

To comply with the principles of the Stockholm Declarations adopted by the International Conference on Human Environment, the Government of India, by the Constitution 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 made the express provision for the protection and promotion of the environment, by the introduction of Article 48-A and 51-A(g) which form the part of Directive Principles of State Policy and the Fundamental Duties respectively. The amendment provided for the following :

(1) Article 48 A: By the Constitution (42nd Amendment ) Act, Section 10 (w.e.f. 3.1.1977). Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wild life:-

"The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forest and wildlife of the country".

(2) Fundamental Duty

(I) Article 51-A(g) : By Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976. Section 11 (w.e.f. 3.1.1977)

"It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures".

Thus the Indian Constitution makes two fold provision.

(a)      On the one hand, it gives directive to the State for the protection and
improvement of environment.

(b)      On the other hand the citizens owe a constitutional duty to protect and improve natural environment.

In protecting the natural environment Article 48-A is of immense importance today.

Because with the activist approach of judiciary in India the legal value of Directive

Principles jurisprudence has constantly grown up in the Indian Constitutional set-up.

Hence the .above provisions are of pivotal significance.

The Government of India to accelerate the pace for environment protection. further

amended the constitutional text by making the following changes.

1.   Seventh Schedule of the Constitution:

(I)   In the Concurrent List, 42nd Amendment Inserted.

(a)        Entry 17-A, providing for forests.

(b)        Entry 17-B, for the protection of wild animals and birds.

(c)        Entry 20-A, providing for population control and family planning.

2.   Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution.

(1)  This new schedule is added by the Constitution 73rd Amendment Act, 1992. Which received the assent ol' tlic President on 20.4.1993. This schedule has 8 entries (2,3.6.7,11,12,15 and 29) providing for environmental protection and conservation

3    Twelfth Schedule of the Constitution.

(1)  The entry number 8 of this schedule added to the constitutional text by the 74th Amendment Act,1992, which received the assessment of the President on 20.4.1993 providal for the Urban Local bodies, with the function of environment and   promotion of ecological aspects to them.

Due to the above changes the division of legislative power between the Union and the States is spelt out in the following three of the 7th Schedule of the constitution.

List I (UNION LIST) Entries.

52.  Industries.

53.  Regulation and development of oil fields and mineral oil/resources.

54. Regulation of mines and mineral development.

56. Regulation and development of inter -State rivers and river valleys.

57. Fishing and fisheries beyond territorial waters.

List II (State List)

Entries

6.    Public health and sanitation .

14.  Agriculture .protection against past and prevention of plant diseases.

18.  Land.colonisation .etc.

21.  Fisheries.

23.  Regulation of Mines and Mineral development subject to the provisions of

24. Industries subject to the provisions of

List III (Common or Concurrent List) Entries

17-A Forests.

17-B Protection and wild animals and birds.

20.  Economic and social planning .

20-A Population control and family planning.

The Eleventh Schedule, added to the Constitution by the constitution 73rd Amendment Act, 1992, assign the functions of soil conservation, water management, social and form forestry, drinking water, fuel and fodder, etc. to the Panchayats with a view to environmental management.

The 12th Schedule of the Constitution added by 74th Amendment Act, 1992 commands the Urban local bodies such as municipalities to perform the functions of Protection of environment and promotion of ecological aspects.

The constitutional changes effected in the 7th Schedule by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 is a milestone steps, in the direction of the protection of environment. Because the subject of forests originally was in the State list as entry 19, this resulted into no uniform policy by the State so as to protect the forests. By placing the item 'forest' now in the concurrent list by the entry 17-A, along with the State, Parliament has acquired a law making power.

Because of the above change, in order to have a uniform policy in the forest management the Government of India in the year 1980 set up the Ministry of Environment and Forests. By virtue of this change Parliament also enacted, the central legislation i.e. Forest Conservation Act, 1980, which was amended in 1988. The government also adopted the new National Forest Policy in 1988 with a twin object. One to protect the forests and another to consider the needs of the forest dwellers.

Similarly the insertion of the entry 17-B in the concurrent list has empowered the Parliament to enact a law with a view to protection of wild animals and birds. Although we had a comprehensive legislation in the form of Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 the 42nd Amendment has considered the wildlife along with forests. India has also formulated National Action plan for the Protection of wild life. The new entry 20 A in the concurrent list embowers the Parliament to regulate the population explosion one, of the prime cause of the environmental pollution. By these changes, legally and constitutionally it has become possible to lake a uniform action in the matters of proper management of the environment.

3.  Fundamental Rights 

The judiciary's dynamic interpretation of fundamental rights have regulated into the rights to healthy environment from the following Articles:

(a)         Article 14 : "State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or
the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India".

(b)         Article 19 (6) : State is empowered to make any law imposing in the
interests of the general public, reasonable restrictions on the exercise of freedom to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business. guaranteed by (1) (g).

(c)         Article 21 : "No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according   to   procedure established by law".

Right Environment:

The importation of the 'due process* clause *by the activist approach of the

Supreme Court in Maneka Gandhi's case (AIR 1978 SC 597 ) has revolutionized the

ambit and scope of the expression 'right to life* embodied in Article 21 of the

Constitution. The right to live in healthy environment is one more golden feather of

article 21.

This right connotes that the enjoyment of life and its attainment and fulfillment

guaranteed by Article 21 embraces the protection and preservation of

nature's gift without which life cannot be enjoyed. The supreme Court of India, in

1980, indirectly conceived this right in a monumental judgment in the case

of Ratlam Municipality V/s. Vardichand (AIR 1980 SC 1622).

In this case the Bench of Justice V. R. Krishna lyer and Justice 0. Chinnappa Reddy held the neglect of sanitation of the town of Ratlam by Municipal Council Health hazard. The Court observed:

"Even as human rights under Part III of the Constitution have respected by the State regardless provision. Decency and dignity race non-negotiable facts of human rights and are a first charge on local self governing bodies".

The Court's decision was founded on it's earlier decision in Govind V. Shanti Sarup (AIR 1957 SC 1943), where Section 133 of the code of Criminal procedure was used by the Court to preserve the environment in the interest of "health. safety and convenience of public a large".

In the judgment the Supreme Court has no-where referred to Article 21 of the Constitution .But it is simply clear that, the judgment is based on the right to live with decency and dignity as provided in the right to life .

The Court continued, its hidden approach of not referring to Article 21 directly, in another landmark case. Rural litigation and Entitlement Kendra V. State of Uttar Pradesh (AIR 1985 SC p52 ) although the Court has successfully read Article 21 in Article 48-A of the Part N of the Constitution.

In this case, the Apex Court converted a letter into written petition alleging that the operation of unauthorised and illegal, mining in the Mussorie -Dehradun belt affected the ecology of the areas and led to environment disorder . The Bench consist of Chief Justice P.N.Bhagwati (as he then was ), Justice A.N. Sen and Justice Ranganath Misra ordered closing down of mining operations on the ground that lime stone quarries operation causing ecological imbalance and a hazard to healthy environment.

The striking feature of this decision is that, the Court converted a letter in the writ petition under Article 32, without referring to any article from the chapter on fundamental rights.

From the jurists process, it could be submitted that Court restrained itself from invoking Article 21 directly, but regarded the right to live in healthy environment as a part of fundamental right.

In M. C. Mchta V. Shriram Food and Fertilizer Industries and Union of India (Oleum Gas Leak Case -I) (AIR 1987 SC 1965) petitioner filed the write against the oleum gas leakage and for closing down one of the units of Shriram food and Fertilizers industries belonging to Delhi Cloth Mills Ltd. The Court allowed to restart plant subject to certain stringent conditions laid down in the order .But the notable development is that the Court held that, can enterprise, engaged in any hazardous or inherently dangerous industry which could pose a threat to public health owed an absolutely and non-delidatable duty to the community to ensure that no harm resulted to anyone. Here again Court made no reference to Article 21.

But in III Oleum Gas Leak Case, M. C . Mehta V/s. Union of India (AIR 19P7 SC 1086 ),Chief Justice P. N. Bhagwati (as he then was) speaking for the Court clearly treated the lights to live in a healthy environment as fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution.

This case came before the Apex Court's Judges Bench by a reference made by a Bench of three Judges. On 4th and 6^th December, there was leakage of Oleum'Gas from one of the units of Shriram which affected the health of large number of people and death of one person. On behalf of affected people application for compensation came up for hearing. The claim of Article 21 against a private corporation engaged in

an activity which has potential to effect the life and health of the people was vehemently argued by counsel for the applicants. On the other hand. counsel for Shriram opposed subjecting Shriram to the discipline of Article 21.

In the judgement Chief Justice P. N. Bhagwati (as he then was) speaking for the Court observed:

"These applications for c6mpensation are the enforcement of the fundamental rights to life enshrined in Article 2 lot the Constitution and while dealing with such applications, we cannot adopt a hypertechnical approach which would defeat that ends of justice ...If this Court is prepared to accept a letter complaining of violation of the fundamental rights of an individual or a class of individuals who cannot approach the Court for justice, there is no reason why these applications for compensation which have been made for the enforcement of the fundamental right of persons affected by oleum gas leak under Article..21 should not be entertained. (AIR 19K7 SC 1089).

In the judgement. Chief Justice P. N. Bhagwati stressed on the need to develop a law recognising the rule of strict and absolute liability in cases of hazardous or dangerous industries operating at the cost of environment and the human life. The learned Chief Justice observed :

"We in India cannot hold our hands back and 1 venture to evolve a new principle of liability which English Courts have not done. We have to develop our law and if we find that it is necessary to construct a new principle of liability to deal with an unusual situation which has arisen and which is likely to arise in future on account of hazardous or inherently dangerous industries which are concomitant to an industrial economy, there is no reason why we should hesitate to evolve such principle of liability merely because, it has not been so done England (AIR 1988 SC 1089)".

The significant feature of this litigation is that the Court decided the important issues of liability and quantum of compensation without making a decision on the issue of assumption of jurisdiction in a write petition for orders against Shreeram Enterprises on the ground of. violation of Article 21 of the Constitution. The judgement of the Supreme Court had an impact on the various High Court Judgements (AIR 1987A.P.171).

In the case of Subhash Kumar V. State of Bihar (AIR 1991 SC 424) the petitioner by way of public interest litigation, filed a petition for ensuring enjoyment of pollution free water and air. Justice K. N. Singh and Justice N. D. Ojha held:

"Right to live is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution and it includes the right of enjoyment of life. If anything endangerous or impairs that quality of. life in derogation of laws, a citizen has a right to have eerecourse to Article 32 of the Constitution for removing the pollution of water or air which may determined to the quality of life (AIR 1991 SC424).

Since 1980 there is a substantial growth in the case law in environment. In 1987, the Apex Court delivered 13 judgements on the issue. Among the judges. Justice Ranganath Mishra (as he then was). Justice P. N. Bhagawati as judge and then as a Chief Justice, and Justice G. L. Oza decided the maximum cases. Though the Apex Court favoured the balanced approached between the environmental protection and development process. Bhagawati's last judgement on the eve of his retirement in M. C. Mehta's case has opened new horizon in the development of environmental law and also administration of environmental justice (J.I.L.I. Vol.35.PartI.1993).

Any Social process of change must be backed by the social sanction. If it is not then, no Court, no law, no Constitution can enforce it. If it is therefore, although now we find some constitutional provisions protecting the ecological balance it calls for the social sanction through the observance of the constitutional morality, which we lack today, as a national morality. Hence Constitutional directives or decisions fails to produce a desired result. It is also now being suggested that the Constitution of India must provide a new Article i.e Article 21-A stating that, all persons shall have the right to clean and lieveable environment, throughout the territory of India subject to any law imposing reasonable restriction in the interest of general public (C. M. Jariwala, Indian Law Institute International Conference Souvenir, 1994, P.72).

However with due respect to the above views it is humbly submitted that it would be better if such matters are left to the specific legislation or judicial laws rather than accumulating everything in the constitutional text. After all the sanctify of the document called as the fundamental law of the land, the constitution must be upheld so as to distinguish it from any other ordinary legislation. Besides the exploration of the difTcrent dimensions of the Article 21 is on going process. The new horizons of the article 21 are coming up from case to case .

In the ultimate analysis of the problem of environmental pollution and its solution it is submitted that, no doubt, the legal, constitutional measures are necessary in the process of management of the proper and better environment. But it is not (he ever lasting solution. The ever lasting solution is that it calls for the people's inner feeling for the protection of environment, the environmental value system, the peoples movement rather than a legal movement.

Hence it calls for the mass education and awareness. This aspect has been very rightly upheld by the summit Court in the case of M.C. Mehta V. Union of India (AIR 1992 SC 382). The peoples collective conscience should wake up before the matter slips out of the hands. Each country now must seriously strive for the maintaining of ecological balance, otherwise tomorrow will be too late.