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M.C. Mehta v. Union of India

Writ Petition (Civil) · 2026 INSC 382Decided 11 Mar 2026
Writ Petition (Civil) No. 4677/1985
Justice Joymalya Bagchi · Justice Vipul M. Pancholi

Background

Filed in 1985 by M.C. Mehta, this is the second-oldest pending case before the Supreme Court, originally concerning unauthorised heavy and noxious industries operating in violation of Delhi's Master Plan. Over four decades it grew into a sprawling continuing-mandamus proceeding covering hazardous industry closures, sealing of commercial activity in residential areas (overseen by a Monitoring Committee and an appellate Judicial Committee), Aravalli hills mining, green cover loss, and groundwater depletion. By the time of this order, 433 interlocutory applications on wildly different subjects were pending under this single 1985 case number, making it administratively unmanageable.

Decision Breakdown

Following the same approach taken the same day in the companion Taj Mahal case (W.P.(C) 13381/1984), the Court formally disposed of this 1985 writ petition. It directed the Registry to register two new Suo Moto Writ Petitions: one on "Regulation of Hazardous Industries in the National Capital Region" and another on "Protection of Water Resources and Prevention of Water Pollution in the National Capital Region." Issues on Aravalli hills mining were routed to an existing suo moto case (Suo Moto W.P.(C) No. 10/2025), and air-pollution/green-cover issues were routed to the sister proceedings under W.P.(C) 13029/1985. Notably, applications relating to Delhi's Master Plan, land-use, encroachment, and challenges to the Monitoring/Judicial Committee's orders were transferred outright to the Delhi High Court under Article 226, since that court's proximity and concurrent jurisdiction made it better suited to handle them, while remaining bound by the Supreme Court's prior orders. A detailed procedure was set for AORs to certify which pending IAs remain live versus infructuous.

Lesson Learnt

Long-running "continuing mandamus" litigation on interconnected but distinct issues can, and periodically should, be unbundled into focused suo moto proceedings and, where appropriate, handed back to the jurisdictionally closer High Court: this keeps decades-old public interest litigation administrable without weakening the substantive protections already ordered.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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