Justice Prakash Srivastava appointed the new chairman of NGT

Former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Justice Prakash Srivastava has been appointed as the Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Justice Prakash Srivastava was appointed in place of Justice Sheo Kumar Singh. Following the retirement of the former Chairman, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, Justice Sheo Kumar Singh was appointed as the Acting Chairman of the Tribunal on 7 July 2023.

• Justice Prakash Srivastava was born on March 31, 1961. He enrolled as an advocate in 1987 and practised in tax, civil and constitutional law in the Supreme Court.
• Thereafter, he was appointed as an Additional Judge in the Madhya Pradesh High Court on January 18, 2008, before being made permanent on January 15, 2010.
• Thereafter, Justice Srivastava served as the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court from October 11, 2021 till his superannuation on March 30, 2023.

National Green Tribunal (NGT):

• Established: 18 October 2010
• First Chairman: Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was established in accordance with the National Green Tribunal Act of 2010.
• Its primary purpose is to ensure the efficient and prompt resolution of issues related to the environment. 
• This includes the enforcement of legal rights concerning environmental matters such as safeguarding the environment, conserving forests, and managing natural resources.
• The NGT also focuses on providing appropriate remedies and compensation to individuals or entities impacted by environmental concerns or damage to property.
• The NGT can be called an 'Environmental Court', with the same powers as the High Court.
• The main source of powers of the NGT is derived from the Act made for it whereas the powers of the High Court are defined in the Constitution.
• In case of dissatisfaction with the decision of NGT, its decision can be challenged in the Supreme Court within 90 days.

Composition of NGT:

• Chairman: Justice Prakash Srivastava
• Members: At least 10 Judicial Members and 10 Expert Members (this number shall not exceed 20 full-time Judicial and Expert Members).
• Headquarters: New Delhi, (There are four regional benches at Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai.) Circuit benches of the NGT are at: Shimla, Shillong, Jodhpur and Kochi.