Supreme Court Ruling on Public Trust Doctrine
The Supreme Court has held that the Public Trust Doctrine applies to artificially created waterbodies, in addition to natural ones.
In the Futala Lake case in Nagpur, the Court ruled that even man-made waterbodies fall under public trust, as long as they serve ecological or environmental purposes.
The doctrine of public trust is not confined only to natural waterbodies such as rivers, lakes, and wetlands but also extends to man-made or artificially created waterbodies that serve ecological or environmental purposes.
- A three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria, made the ruling.
- The bench observed that all artificial or man-made waterbodies created from natural resources and contributing to environmental balance fall within the ambit of the doctrine of public trust.
Author's summary: Supreme Court expands Public Trust Doctrine to man-made waterbodies.