Overview
- A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta reserved orders and fixed September 23 to pronounce directions in the suo motu case on Himachal’s environmental degradation.
- Justice Sandeep Mehta indicated the inquiry will extend beyond Himachal to all Himalayan states, citing an especially violent season of landslides, flash floods and cloudbursts.
- Himachal’s report acknowledged glacier area shrinkage and logged 434 extreme-weather events between 2018 and 2025 that resulted in 123 deaths across districts.
- Amicus curiae K. Parmeshwar and the bench said the report lacked specifics, pressing for actionable remedial steps rather than the mere creation of another committee.
- The court sought detailed responses from state and central authorities as related petitions target road building, hill cutting, tree felling, mining and hydropower impacts across the region.