NGT Imposes Penalty On A Person For Filing A Petition Against A Fictitious Factory

Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Delhi ordered an individual to pay a penalty of ₹25,000 for filing a petition against a fictitious factory. The applicant, Waseem Ahmad, had accused M/s Bharat Brass International of breaking environmental regulations by running several furnaces and other production processes that caused the release of harmful liquids into the drain, harming the environment in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.

According to sources, a panel consisting of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and Sudhir Agarwal, as well as expert member Prof. A Senthil Veil, deemed that the application made by the applicant contained misleading and inaccurate information, and therefore constituted an abuse of the legal process.

During the hearing of the plea in March, the NGT requested a factual report from a joint committee consisting of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and District Magistrate (DM), Moradabad.

The committee submitted its report on May 9, revealing that the factory referred to by the applicant did not exist at the address provided. The report also stated that no factory in the area was owned by the person accused of owning the factory.

As the applicant did not contest the report, the NGT concluded that the application was based on false information and imposed a fine of ₹25,000. The applicant must pay this amount to the UPPCB within a month, and if he fails to do so, the UPPCB may use coercive measures to recover the funds for environmental restoration.