Authority: Supreme Court of India
Order Date: 23 July 2026
Case Overview
- Parties: Shree Jagdambe Paper Mills Ltd (appellant) vs Sunil Kumar Midha & Ors (respondents).
- Background: NGT, in Original Application No. 888 of 2018, acted on a pollution complaint, directed Haryana State Pollution Control Board to investigate, issued a show‑cause notice, and on 2 August 2019 imposed compensation of Rs 12,40,000 on the appellant, although the appellant was not a party before the NGT and was not given an opportunity to be heard.
- Subsequent proceedings: The appellant, represented by senior counsel A.R. Takkar, filed a civil appeal (No. 9575 of 2019) before the Supreme Court, arguing denial of hearing and procedural irregularities. The company has since been closed down, a fact not contested by the respondents.
- Court’s reasoning: The Court held that the NGT could not pass an order without affording a hearing. While normally it would remand for reconsideration, the closure of the appellant rendered remand purposeless.
Final Outcome
- The Supreme Court set aside the NGT judgment and order dated 2 August 2019, disposing of the civil appeal.
- No order as to costs was made.
- All pending applications related to the appeal were also disposed of.
Topics: Environmental Law, Judicial Review