Chandigarh, March 7 -- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday asserted that environmental safeguards are non-negotiable but judiciary doesn't need to work with a "tunnel vision".

Addressing judges and lawyers at the launch of a library dedicated to former Supreme Court judge justice Kuldeep Singh, also referred to as "green judge", at the Punjab and Haryana high court, the CJI said that we must remember the economic context in which justice Singh gave judgments on environmental issues.

In late 90s and 80s, India was entering in a phase of industrialisation and liberalisation and judiciary had genuine apprehension that growth and infrastructure may come at the cost of rivers, forest and air, he said.

"..at that time environmental...