Retrospective environmental clearance: Supreme Court strikes down Centre’s 2021 memorandum

3 min readNew DelhiJul 29, 2026 04:02 PM IST The Supreme Court ruled that prior environmental clearance remains mandatory, striking down the Centre's 2021 office memorandum while upholding the 2017 notification.The Supreme Court Wednesday struck down the Centre’s 2021 office memorandum regarding retrospective approval

The Bench, however, held that the Centre may, in exceptional circumstances and in the larger public interest, introduce a limited, time-bound amnesty scheme through a valid statutory notification