The book under review is published by Eastern Book Company, Lucknow. 3rd Edn., 2024. It consists of 579 pages, including the subject index consisting of seven pages, at the end of the book, and 46 pages in the beginning of the book having contents, table of cases, and table of statutes. The book is reasonably priced at Rs 895.
The book authored by late Prof. Gurdip Singh is an authoritative text on environmental law. It is a comprehensive text on the subject. Prof. Singh, a distinguished legal scholar with vast experience in teaching and administration has demonstrated his scholarship in this book. The complex environmental issues have been explained with clarity in this book. The book serves as a great and reliable source of information for students, legal practitioners, environmental activists, and policy-makers alike. The book is well-organised. The core principles, statutory provisions, and judicial interpretation of various statutory provisions that shape the environmental law in India, have been explained in a systematic manner. Starting from historical development of the environmental law, the author discusses the development of environmental law at the national as well as international level. One of the unique features of this book is that the author has provided insightful discussion on environmental ethics and philosophical underpinning that justify legal intervention on issues related to environmental law.
The book has been divided into three parts. Part 1 has introduction, and it explains the concept of sustainable development in detail. In the introduction part, key environmental values relating to environment protection have been discussed. One of the especially important features of this book is that Prof. Singh has mentioned the latest developments at national and international level. The author has explained the conceptualisation of sustainable development in Chapter 2 of the book. The important principles of sustainable development, like intergenerational equity, precautionary principle and polluter pays principal have been explained very well. This chapter also includes the discussion on the role of World Bank in protecting the environment and various other international developments which have taken place in protecting the environment. The status of sustainable development in India is clearly stated in this chapter. An in-depth discussion on various provisions of the , which deal with environment protection, including Article 48-A in the directive principles of State policy and Article 51-A(g) as a fundamental duty of the citizens for protection and improvement of environment finds place in this chapter. Various judicial decisions which have interpreted right to live in healthy environment as a part of fundamental right to life and right to equality have been discussed in this chapter. The duty to protect the environment as enshrined in Part IV-A of the Constitution has also been discussed in this chapter in detail.
Part 2 of the book contains two chapters. Chapter 4 deals with role of public interest litigation in environmental protection. It is a known fact that in India, the environmental jurisprudence has been developed through public interest litigations. In Chapter 5 of the book, the author has discussed legal regulation of hazardous substances. The Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules have been discussed in detail. Since the amended rules of 2016, have been discussed in detail, there was no necessity to discuss the said Rules of 2008. A significant part of this chapter has been devoted to discussing the infamous Bhopal Disaster Case of 1984 and its legal consequences. The provisions relating to public liability insurance have also been discussed.
Part 3 of the book is most comprehensive and elaborated. This part deals with statutory provisions relating to various kinds of pollution. The author has done a detailed analysis of major environmental statutes, such as, the , the , the , the , the , the and the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, legal protection of wildlife under the , protection of biological diversity, including the . The book has discussion on provisions of different statutes and how the judiciary has interpreted them. The book has different judicial decisions on the subject. One of the unique features of the book is that a comprehensive review of the evolution of global environmental treaties and conventions have been discussed in the book. The book also has discussion as to how these international instruments have influenced the Indian environmental jurisprudence. The Stockholm Declaration of 1972, the Rio Declaration of 1992 and the Paris Agreement of 2015 leading to the adoption of sustainable development goals (SDGs) have been explained in detail. The book specifically highlights the proactive role played by the judiciary in evolving new environmental jurisprudence and how the scope of environmental rights has been expanded in India. The case law has been referred at the relevant places with citations in the footnotes. The latest judicial decisions up to the year 2023 have been analytically discussed in the book.
The comprehensive coverage of the book on issues related to national and international environmental law offers holistic view on the subject. Another important feature of the book is that it incorporates updated information which makes the understanding of contemporary environmental challenges, such as, SDGs, and climate change, easy. The key strength of the book is that it deals with judicial decisions, meticulously, and the important case law has been analysed critically. The simple and lucid language used in describing the concepts adds colour to the book. The book is easy to understand. The book is a reliable source of learning about environmental law for the students.
The author has made a great contribution to the legal literature about environmental law. The book provides a balance between theoretical insights and practical applications and thus making it not only an important source of information to the academicians, but also useful guide for professionals who are involved in environmental litigation and policy formulation. The book provides a holistic understanding of the environmental law. The book has contributed immensely to the legal literature about environment protection, and it is going to serve as a foundational text for everyone in the years to come.
I would also like to pay my tribute to a great visionary author, who spent about 45 years in teaching and administration. His sudden departure has certainly created a void in the legal world. Due to sudden departure, the author could not cover in the book emerging topics, such as, environmental rule of law and climate, justice. However, I am happy to note that the important task of publication of his writings has been taken over by Dr Amita Bahri. It is hoped that the book is published at regular intervals by incorporating latest changes on the subject. The next edition of the book is also expected to cover the emerging topics, such as, environmental rule of law and climate justice.
†Assistant Professor, Army Institute of Law, Mohali (Punjab)
Charan Lal Sahu v. Union of India, .
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