Summary
In 2015, an advocate practicing before the Uttarakhand High Court filed a writ petition concerning a lack of action by governmental authorities to prevent pollution in the Ganga river. The court ordered that the governmental authorities take action. No such action was taken, and the matter came before the court again, and the petitioner asked for the Himalayas, glaciers, streams, water bodies, etc. to be declared as legal entities at par with pious rivers Ganga and Yamuna. The court agreed, and the ruling gave personhood to glaciers including Gangotri and Yamunotri, rivers, streams, rivulets, lakes, air, meadows, dales, jungles, forests wetlands, grasslands, springs, and waterfalls.
The high courts of India are the highest courts of jurisdiction in each state and union territory of India. All courts in India, including high courts, are bound by the judgements and orders of the Supreme Court of India.
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2025. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor.https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/miglani-v-state-of-uttarakhand/.
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