India: Environmental Law

India generates an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day, of which a substantial share, approximately 10,556 tonnes daily, remains uncollected and enters landfills or the open environment. To address this, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (“MoEFCC”) has notified a national Extended Producer Responsibility (“EPR”) framework for plastic packaging under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, as amended from time to time.

In India’s legal lexicon, “nuclear power” is more than a technological marvel, it is a complex category of activity defined, licensed, and overseen by statute. Under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, “nuclear installations” encompass any reactor, plant or facility in which radioactive substances are produced, handled or stored. The same atom whose controlled fission heats our turbines can, if misused has the power to detonate cities, as Albert Einstein, Oppenheimer, Homi J Baba and several notable scientists have warned us.

The Central Pollution Control Board (“CPCB”) has issued guidelines under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 (“BWM Rules”) governing the collection, handling, storage and transportation of waste batteries across the country. The guidelines anchor compliance to the hazardous waste regime, prescribe chemistry-specific storage and transport protocols, and restrict who may operate collection centres, thereby seeking to prevent mishandling and illegal operations in the handling of waste batteries.

In its May 2026 judgment, the Supreme Court issued significant directions on stray dog population management, reinforcing the ABC Rules 2023. This article analyses the key implementation priorities for municipal bodies, state animal husbandry departments, and local administrators to ensure compliance with the Court’s directions on sterilization, vaccination, and responsible management.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has published draft amendments to India's vehicle scrapping regulations, introducing comprehensive changes to equipment standards, digital integration requirements, and enforcement mechanisms.

The Supreme Court of India, by its order dated 25 May 2026, directed the constitution of a five-member High-Powered Expert Committee to resolve critical definitional...

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India ("MNRE") on February 25, 2026 issued the draft guidelines for quantifying greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions from offsite water drawal and treatment, for stakeholder comments until March 13, 20262. These guidelines inter alia provide for benchmark emission factors along with a mechanism for allocation/ determination of emissions during water treatment systems in order to ensure compliance with the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India3 and alignment with ISO 19870:2023.

The National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench, in Renu Bala v. MoEF&CC & Ors.1, delivered a decisive ruling reinforcing that prior Environmental Clearance (EC) under the EIA Notification...

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has proposed amendments to packaging regulations that would mandate pan masala manufacturers to abandon plastic-based packaging in favor of paper, cellulose, tin, or glass materials. This regulatory intervention harmonizes food safety standards with environmental protection mandates by incorporating provisions from the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, creating a comprehensive framework that addresses both public health and sustainability concerns. The dr