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India case Salim v. State of Uttarakhand establishing legal personhood for the Rivers Ganga and Yamuna

India
Uttarakhand
Approved in 2017
Case
Personhood, Rights Of Nature
Rivers Ganga and Yamuna
Freshwater Ecosystem
Hon. Rajiv Sharma, J.
Court

Summary

In 2014, Mohammed Salim filed a lawsuit in the High Court of Uttarakhand concerning illegal construction and encroachments along the Ganges River. The judges ordered that officials evict two private parties from government land, require the central government to constitute the Ganga Management Board within three months, and ban mining in the river bed and floodplain. However, the orders were not followed, and the matter came before the High Court again. The court ruled that the Ganga and Yamuna rivers are in danger of losing their existence and are therefore declared legal entities with rights. The High Court appointed two officials from the state of Uttarakhand to serve as persons in loco parentis for the two rivers.

To see the original legal document(s) for this initiative, click the links below:

Salim v. State of Uttarakhand Judgment [PDF]

To see other supplementary information related to this initiative, click the links below:

Yale University Press - Of Holy Rivers and Human Rights: Protecting the Ganges by Law
The Guardian - Ganges and Yamuna rivers granted same legal rights as human beings
Smithsonian - India’s Ganges and Yamuna Rivers Are Given the Rights of People
Reuters - India's sacred Ganges and Yamuna rivers granted same legal rights as humans

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