NEW DELHI,Feb 2026 : The Supreme Court of India on Thursday refused to entertain a petition filed by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh concerning retrospective environmental clearances to projects.
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi questioned how can the petitioner seek a review of its earlier verdict by way of a writ petition.
“Please tell us how the writ is maintainable. We know the design behind these kind of writ petitions. There was a judgement. That has been set aside by a larger bench in review. Now, you are indirectly filing a review petition,” the CJI told the counsel appearing for Ramesh.
“Please tell us how the writ is maintainable. We know the design behind these kind of writ petitions. There was a judgement. That has been set aside by a larger bench in review. Now, you are indirectly filing a review petition,” the CJI told the counsel appearing for Ramesh.
The Bench permitted him to withdraw the plea with liberty to avail remedy in accordance with law.
On November 18, 2025, reversing its own verdict, the top court paved the way for retrospective environmental clearance by the Centre and other authorities to projects found violating environmental norms on payment of heavy penalties, observing that otherwise “thousands of crores of rupees would go in waste”.
The top court, by a 2:1 majority, held that numerous vital public projects constructed out of public exchequer to the tune of nearly ₹20,000 crore will be demolished if the May 16 verdict, which barred the Centre from granting retrospective environmental clearance to projects, is not recalled.
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