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Judgment
Lawyers Environment Awareness Forum has filed this writ petition in public interest with a prayer to direct respondents 1 to 4 to ensure that a
regular Bench of the National Green Tribunal is established at Ernakulam and to conduct regular sittings of the Bench with facility to file pleadings
and applications at Ernakulam. There is also a prayer to direct the first respondent to ensure that minimum number of judicial and expert members
and Chairman of the Tribunal and its Benches are appointed for regular sittings.
In so far as the prayer of the petitioner for Bench at Ernakulam is concerned, even earlier, there was no regular Bench at Ernakulam but only
Circuit Bench sittings are held by the Chennai Bench of the Tribunal. However, of late, due to shortage of members, the Circuit Bench sittings have
been discontinued. According to the learned Standing Counsel appearing for the respondents, the discontinuance of the sittings at Cochin was only
on account of the dearth of members and will be revived when sufficient members are appointed.
We record this submission.
As regards the second prayer of the petitioner is concerned, according to the learned Standing Counsel appearing for the respondents, steps are
already initiated for appointment of additional members to the Tribunal. In that view of the matter, we direct that the process of appointment be
completed expeditiously and sufficient members appointed so that regular sittings of the Tribunal could be revived and continued as sought for. The
writ petition is disposed of as above.