Buffer zone: SC refers petitions to new three-judge bench

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday decided to refer the petitions seeking amendment in the buffer zone judgment to a three-judge bench.

An earlier three-member bench, on June 3, 2022, mandated a minimum 1 km Ecologically Sensitive Zone, or buffer zone, around all protected forests in the country.

Since Justice Nageswara Rao of the three-judge bench that delivered the verdict earlier has retired, the Chief Justice will appoint the members of the new three-judge bench.

Hinting that some of the suggestions in the previous judgment would be amended, the court decided not to consider Kerala's review petition for the time being.

If the amendment is allowed, then there would be no need for re-examination, the court said. When the petition came up for hearing, the amicus curiae told the court about the practical difficulties that have arisen in Kerala and elsewhere since the judgment.