HC initiates suo motu PIL on wetland conservation

SHILLONG, Feb 27: The High Court of Meghalaya has initiated a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to ensure the proper identification and preservation of wetlands in the state, in compliance with a directive from the Supreme Court of India.
The PIL, registered on the orders of Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh, follows a Supreme Court judgment in Writ Petition (C) No. 304 of 2018 – Anand Arya v. Union of India, which required High Courts to oversee the maintenance of Ramsar Convention sites within their jurisdictions.
According to court records, the Registrar General of the High Court of Meghalaya had submitted a note on February 6, 2025, highlighting the Supreme Court’s directive along with an affidavit from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). In response, the Chief Justice sought a report from the Meghalaya State Wetland Authority.
On February 14, 2025, the Member Secretary of the Meghalaya State Wetland Authority informed the court that there are currently no officially notified Ramsar sites in the state. To confirm this assertion and ensure compliance with the Supreme Court’s order, the High Court directed the Registrar General to initiate the PIL.
The court has ordered that copies of the petition be served on the state government, the Advocate General, the Deputy Solicitor General of India, the Member Secretary of the Meghalaya State Wetland Authority, and the Chief Conservator of Forests by March 7, 2025. The matter has been listed for its next hearing on March 12, 2025.
This development marks a significant step toward the conservation of Meghalaya’s wetlands, which hold ecological and heritage value despite the absence of Ramsar recognition.