Meghalaya HC initiates suo motu PIL on wetland preservation
The Meghalaya High Court has initiated a suo motu PIL to protect wetlands in the state. This move aims to address threats to these ecosystems and ensure their conservation.
- Feb 28, 2025,
- Updated Feb 28, 2025, 4:04 PM IST
The High Court of Meghalaya has initiated a suo motu Public Interest Litigation to verify the State Wetland Authority's claim that there are no notified Ramsar sites in Meghalaya and to ensure compliance with Supreme Court directives on wetland preservation.
The PIL follows a Supreme Court order dated December 11, 2024, requesting High Courts to ensure that Ramsar Convention sites within their jurisdictions are properly maintained, recognising wetlands as having "great heritage value of international importance."
Chief Justice IP Mukerji directed the Registrar General to serve notices to key stakeholders including the State government, the Meghalaya State Wetland Authority, and the Chief Conservator of Forests by March 5, 2025.
The State Wetland Authority had previously informed the court through a letter dated February 14 that "there was no notified Ramsar site in the State," a claim the court now seeks to verify.
The matter has been listed for hearing on March 12, 2025, as part of nationwide efforts to protect ecologically significant wetlands under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for wetland conservation.