School of Law, HILSR Jamia

Hamdard Course Syllabus

Course Overview:
Course Title: Environmental Law
Course Code: BALLB – 3..
Semester: Sixth
Credits: 4
Medium of Instruction/Assessment: English

Objectives of the Course

The environmental pollution and degradation have become one of the biggest hazards not
only to human existence but also to the existence of all the gifts that nature has bestowed
upon mankind. Unless immediate, urgent and stern steps are taken to control the
environmental pollution, the future of human life would be dark, bleak, suffocated and
terrible. This fact has accentuated the need for obtaining and applying different legal
measures at international and national level for the protection of environment and
prevention of pollution. In such a situation the role of national governments, the role of
individuals and that of society have become extremely pivotal. Today, Environmental Law
is one of the most important tools for environment protection and management and hence it
is necessary for the Law Students to understand this multidisciplinary subject.

Assessment and Evaluation

The course has a weightage of 100 marks. 60 % of the marks will be covered by the End
Semester Examination; while as 40 % will constitute internal assessment to be done by the
concerned instructor.
• End Semester Examination: There shall be ten questions in the Question paper
with two from each unit. Students shall have to answer five questions in all
selecting one from each unit.
• Internal Assessment: Students will be assessed and evaluated by the concerned
teacher during the entire semester at regular intervals. This will be done by
employing a wide range of methods including written tests, tutorials, term paper
writing, presentations etc. Attendance of the students will also form a part of the
internal assessment.
Course Outline

The course is based on five units

UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

i) Environment: Meaning & Concept
ii) Environment and Human Interface: An Overview
 iii) Environment and Human Rights Perspective
iv) Need for Preservation and Protection of Environment

Prescribed Readings/Books:
1. Richard J Lazarus, The Making of Environmental Law (University of Chicago Press 2004).
2. Bell, S., McGillivray, D., & Pedersen, O. (2017). Environmental Law (9th edn). Oxford
University Press.
3. Ostrom, E. (2009). The Human-Environment Interface: An Interdisciplinary Approach.
Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 34, 25-49.
4. Boyd, D. R. (2012). The Human Right to a Healthy Environment. Review of European,
Comparative & International Environmental Law, 23(2), 171-179.
5. Atapattu, S. (2018). Human Rights and the Environment: Key Issues. Routledge

UNIT 2: INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

i) Development of international environmental law; nature and scope of key international
environmental law principles and rights (substantive and procedural) U.N. Conference on
Human Environment, 1972 – Stockholm Principles, Establishment of Environmental
Institutions like UNEP; World Charter for Nature, 1982; Ozone Protection – Montreal
Protocol for the Protection of Ozone Layer, 1987 as amended; U.N. Conference on
Environment and Development, 1992 - Rio Principles; Convention on Biological
Diversity,1992; Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, 2000; U.N. Convention on Climate
Change1992, Kyoto Protocol, 1997; Forest Principles; Agenda 21; Human Right to
Healthy Environment; Rio+20-United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development;
Paris Agreement, 2015; Sustainable Development Goals.

Prescribed Readings/Books:

1. Philippe Sands, 'The Evolution of International Environmental Law' (1995) 94 Michigan Law
Review 2313.
2. Daniel Bodansky, Jutta Brunnée, and Lavanya Rajamani, International Climate Change Law
(Oxford University Press 2017).
3. Edith Brown Weiss, 'International Environmental Law: Its Scope and Boundaries' (2000)
1(1) Yearbook of International Environmental Law 3.
4. Philippe Sands, Principles of International Environmental Law (4th edn, Cambridge
University Press 2018).
5. Philippe Sands, 'The Road from Rio: International Environmental Law after the Earth
Summit' (1993) 6(2) European Journal of International Law 398.
6. Daniel Bodansky, 'The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: Origins,
Evolution and Future Directions' (1993) 25(2) Environment: Science and Policy for
Sustainable Development 45.
7. Ved P. Nanda and Rock Pring, International Environmental Law and Policy for the 21st
Century, (2nd ed., 2012).

Prescribed Case Laws

1. Trail Smelter Arbitration (US/Canada), 3 U.N. Rep. Int’l Arb. Awards 1905 (1941).
2. Case Concerning the Gabcíkovo-Nagymaros Project (Hungary/Slovakia), International Court of
Justice, 25 September 1997 (separate opinion of Justice Weeramantry).
3. Case Concerning Pulp Mills on River Uruguay (Argentina/Uruguay), ICJ, 2010
4. Case Concerning Certain Activities Carried out by Nicaragua in the Border Area (Costa Rica v.
Nicaragua) Compensation owed by the Republic of Nicaragua to the Republic of Costa Rica, ICJ, 2
February 2018.

UNIT 3: CONSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON ENVIRONMENT

i) Protection of Environment under the Constitution of India—Fundamental Rights,

Directive Principles of State Policy, Fundamental Duties and other related Constitutional
mandates to protect and safeguard the Environment.

ii) Judicial Activism in Environment protection—Concept of Public Interest Litigation and

its development, Sustainable Development—Inter-generational and Intragenerational
Equity; Precautionary Principle, Polluter Pays Principle, Absolute and Strict Liability,
Public Trust Doctrine

iii) National Green Tribunal—Law Commission 186 th report on proposal to constitute

Environment Court (2003), The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010; Powers and
functions of the National Green Tribunal; jurisdiction; locus standi, remedies.

Prescribed Readings/Books:

1. Armin Rosencranz, 'Environmental Protection in India: The Role of the Supreme Court' (2002)
32(2) Environmental Law Reporter 10528.
2. Divan, S., & Rosencranz, A. (2021). Environmental Law and Policy in India (3rd ed.). Oxford
University Press.
3. Leelakrishnan, P. (2019). Environmental Law in India (4th ed.). LexisNexis.
4. Bhullar, L. (2022). Environmental Constitutionalism and Duties of Individuals in India. Journal
of Environmental Law, 34(3), 399-418.
5. Ghosh, S. (2016). Judicial Activism and Environmental Protection in India. Environmental Law
Review, 18(4), 290-306.
6. Bhuwania A. Courting the People: Public Interest Litigation in Post-Emergency India.
Cambridge University Press; 2016.
7. Swatanter Kumar, 'The National Green Tribunal of India: A Sustainable Future through the
Principles of Environmental Justice' (2013) 3(1) Environmental Law Review 13.
8. Geetanjoy Sahu, Environmental Jurisprudence and the Supreme Court: Litigation,
Interpretation, Implementation (2014).
9. Shibani Ghosh (ed), Indian Environmental Law: Key Concepts and Principles (2019).
10. Lavanya Rajamani, ‘The Right to Environmental Protection in India: Many a Slip Between the
Cup and the Lip?’ (2008) 16 Review of European, Comparative and International
Environmental Law 274.
11. Gitanjali N Gill, ‘Human Rights and Environmental Protection in India: Access Through Public
Interest Litigation’ (2012) 14 Environmental Law Review 200.
12. Rajamani Lavanya, ‘Public Interest Environmental Litigation in India: ‘Exploring Issues of
Access, Participation, Equity, Effectiveness and Sustainability’ (2007) 19 Journal of
 Environmental Law 293.

Prescribed Case Laws

1. Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action v. Union of India, AIR 1996 SC 1446
2. Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action v. Union of India, (2011) 12 SCC 768
3. Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. Union of India, AIR 1996 SC 2715
4. Narmada Bachao Andolan v. Union of India, AIR 2000 SC 3751
5. Intellectuals Forum, Tirupathi v. State of A.P., AIR 2006 SC 1350
6. Jitendra Singh v. Ministry of Environment & Ors., Supreme Court, Civil Appeal No.
5109/2019, decided on 25 November 2019
7. Hanuman Laxman Aroskar v. Union of India, (2019) 15 SCC 401
8. Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar, AIR 1991 SC 420
9. Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra v. State of U.P., (1985) 2 SCC 431
10. M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, AIR 1997 SC 734
11. M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath, (1997) 1 SCC 388
12. M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath, AIR 2000 SC 1997
13. M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath, 2002 (2) SCALE 654
14. Sachidanand Pandey v. State of West Bengal, AIR 1987 SC 1109

UNIT 4: SPECIAL ENACTMENTS ON ENVIRONMENT

i) The Environment Protection Act, 1986— Aims and objective of the Act, relevant
provisions, Violation and Penalties.

ii) The Water (Prevention and control of Pollution) Act, 1974—Framework of the Act,
Central and States Pollution Control Boards—its Powers and Functions, Offences and
Penalties under Water Act, Role of Judiciary in Prevention of Water Pollution.

iii) The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981— Salient Features of the Act,
Role of Judiciary in Prevention of Air Pollution.

iv) The Wildlife Protection Act 1972— Protected Areas, Central Zoo Authority, Offences
against Wildlife.

v) Biodiversity Conservation— Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and its Salient Features.

vi) Law relating to Forest—The Indian Forest Act, 1927; The Forest (Conservation) Act,
1980; Kinds of Forest Land -Private, Reserved, Village, Protected; Use of Forest Land for
Non-Forest purposes; Rights of Tribal and Forest Dwellers—The Scheduled Tribes and
Other Traditional Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

Prescribed Readings/Books:

1. Shyam Diwan and Armin Rosencranz, Environmental Law and Policy in India– Cases,
Materials and Statutes (2nd ed., 2001).
 2. Gurdip Singh, Environmental Law in India (2nd ed 2016).
3. Cullet, P. (2020). The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974: Framework
and Implementation. Environmental Law Review, 15(2), 80-95.
4. Ghosh, S. (2022). The State of India’s Pollution Control Boards Working Paper Series.
Centre for Policy Research.
5. Wahi N. The Evolution of the Right to Water in India. Water. 2022; 14(3).
6. Lovleen Bhullar, ‘The Indian Forest Rights Act 2006: A Critical Appraisal’, 4/1 Law,
Environment and Development Journal (2008), p. 20,
7. Usha Tandon et al (ed), Biodiversity: Law, Policy and Governance (2018).
8. Manju Arora Relan, Forest and Wildlife Law & Rights of Indigenous People, (1999).

Prescribed Case Laws

1. M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, AIR 1988 SC 1037
2. M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, AIR 1988 SC 1115
3. M/s Delhi Bottling Co. Pvt. Ltd. v. Central Board for the Prevention and Control of
Water Pollution, AIR 1986 Del. 152
4. Municipal Council, Ratlam v. Vardichand, (1980) 4 SCC 162
5. State of M.P. v. Kedia Leather & Liquor Ltd., AIR 2003 SC 3236
6. Forum Prevention of Envn. & Sound Pollution v. Union of India, AIR 2005 SC 3136 180
7. MC Mehta v Union of India, 1987 AIR 1086 (Oleum Gas Leak case)
8. Union Carbide Corporation v Union of India, AIR 1992 SC 248.
9. Techi Tagi Tara v. Rajendra Singh Bhandari & Ors, Supreme Court, Civil Appeal No.
1359/017, Judgement of 22 September 2017
10. University of Delhi v. Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change & Ors. NGT
Principal Bench, Appeal No. 112/2018, MANU/GT/0014/2021
11. Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai v. Ankita Sinha, Supreme Court, 7 Oct. 2021
12. Pahwa Plastics Pvt Ltd. vs Dastak Ngo and others, Supreme Court, 25 March, 2022
13. Divya Pharmacy v Union of India, High Court of Uttarakhand, WP 3437/2016, Decided
on 21 December 2018
14. TN Godavarman Thirumulpad v Union of India—Shomona Khanna, ‘Boundaries of
Forest Land: The Godavarman case and Beyond’, in Sharachchandra Lele & Ajit Menon
eds., Democratizing Forest Governance in India 225 (Oxford University Press, 2014).

UNIT 5: Introduction to Climate Change related Issues

i) Climate Change— Scientific, Economic and Social Context
ii) Human Rights, Displacement and Migration
iii) The Concept of Climate Justice, Climate Mitigation, Climate Adaptation, and Climate
Finance
iv) Legal Response to Climate change at National and International Level
v) Climate Change related Litigation—Global North-South perspective.

Prescribed Readings/Books:

1. Humphreys S, ed. Human Rights and Climate Change. Cambridge University Press; 2009.
2. Alice Venn, Rendering International Human Rights Law Fit for Purpose on Climate
Change, Human Rights Law Review, Volume 23, Issue 1, March 2023,
 3. Bodansky, Daniel, Jutta Brunnée, and Lavanya Rajamani. International climate change law.
Oxford University Press, 2017.

Prescribed Case Laws (kindly refer the Case Laws mention in these Articles/Journals)
1. Ghosh S. Litigating Climate Claims in India. AJIL Unbound. 2020.
2. Kodiveri A. Climate Change Litigation in India: Its Potential and Challenges. In: Rodríguez-
Garavito C, ed. Litigating the Climate Emergency: How Human Rights, Courts, and Legal
Mobilization Can Bolster Climate Action. Globalization and Human Rights. Cambridge
University Press; 2022:364-375.
3. Chaturvedi E. Climate Change Litigation: Indian Perspective. German Law Journal.
2021;22(8):1459-1470.

Prescribed Legislations
1. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
2. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
3. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
4. The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991
5. The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
6. The Biological Diversity Act, 2002
7. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
8. The Indian Forest Act, 1927
9. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
10. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Dwellers (Recognition of Forest
Rights) Act, 2006.

Policies and reports

1. The National Environment Policy, 2006
2. The National Forest Policy, 1988
3. The National Water Policy, 2012
4. The Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 2002
5. Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development,
Our Common Future, 1987