‘Aur kitna sukhaoge Sukhna Lake ko?’: CJI flags corruption behind drying of Chandigarh lake

Expressing concern over the drying up of Chandigarh’s iconic Sukhna Lake, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday remarked, “Aur kitna sukhaoge Sukhna Lake ko,” while alleging collusion between builder mafias and bureaucrats that has led to environmental degradation.

A Bench comprising the CJI and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi made the oral observations while hearing interim applications filed in a pending 1995 public interest litigation titled In Re: T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad, which deals with forest conservation issues.

As a lawyer mentioned a plea related to Sukhna Lake, the CJI said there were illegal constructions carried out “in collusion and connivance with bureaucrats, backed by political entities in Punjab,” resulting in the “complete destruction” of the lake. “All builder mafias are operating there,” he observed.

At the outset, the Bench questioned why matters concerning forests and lakes were repeatedly being brought before the Supreme Court of India, bypassing the high courts, and that too through interim applications in a decades-old PIL. “Why are all forest matters coming to this court?” the Bench asked.

Referring to the application related to Sukhna Lake, the CJI remarked that it appeared as though a “friendly match” was being played at the behest of certain private developers and others.

The Bench asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, and senior advocate K. Parameshwar, assisting the court as amicus curiae in the forest matter, to apprise it of local issues that could be effectively dealt with by the respective high courts.

Litigation concerning Sukhna Lake has largely centred on efforts to protect its catchment area from encroachment. In 2020, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the demolition of structures found to be illegally constructed in the protected zone around the lake.

The apex court’s remarks underline continuing judicial concern over environmental damage to the lake and the need for effective enforcement at the local and state levels.