The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order directing criminal prosecution of Uttarakhand government officials over the discharge of untreated sewage into the Ganga.
The bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar, issued notice to the Centre and scheduled a hearing for the second week of December.
The NGT's February 9 order had sharply criticised the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board (UKPCB) for failing to prevent the untreated sewage discharge.
The tribunal had mandated the initiation of criminal proceedings against accountable officials and heads of departments.
It also instructed the UKPCB to recover Environmental Compensation (EC) for past violations and calculate future penalties, with a compliance report due within two months.
The Supreme Court's stay halts these punitive measures while the case is reviewed, placing the NGT’s directives on hold until further proceedings.
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