New Delhi, March 24 -- The Supreme Court on Monday observed that the legislature should not be completely "denuded" from granting environmental clearances (EC) to development projects long after they have commenced work, particularly when such a decision leads to serving a higher public good such as establishment of a hospital or a public utility.

Examining a challenge to two Central government orders of 2017 and 2021 providing for ex-post facto EC (granting clearance after commencement of project), a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant noted a classic paradox that while India contributes not even 10% to global warming, the burden of protecting environment is much more on courts, even as countries having a bad track r...