In a possible setback for companies operating without prior environment clearance in violation of norms, the Supreme Court has stayed the Union environment ministry’s ex-post facto approval to such projects – some running for well over a decade.
Ex-post facto approval is the assent given to projects that have already begun or have been completed, ostensibly as a leeway. Such approvals were issued through the environment ministry’s office memorandums on July 7, 2021 and January 28, 2022.
