Overview
- On December 29, the court kept its November 20 Aravalli hills definition in abeyance and ordered a new expert committee to review concerns.
- A 2:1 bench in November permitted ex-post facto environmental clearances, recalling a May ruling that had struck down retrospective approvals.
- Answering a Presidential Reference, a five-judge bench held courts cannot impose timelines for gubernatorial or presidential assent, while indicating prolonged, unexplained inaction may face judicial scrutiny.
- In the stray-dog suo motu, directions evolved to prioritise sterilisation and vaccination, with orders to remove dogs from institutional premises to shelters rather than release them back there.
- On December 29, the Supreme Court stayed the Delhi High Court’s suspension of Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s life sentence in the Unnao rape case, preventing his release pending further hearing.