Chandigarh, July 18: Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant launched an ambitious regional tree plantation campaign on Saturday, extending the judiciary’s role into environmental protection across Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh. The monsoon-season initiative seeks to plant lakhs of saplings across various public arenas, court complexes, and residential zones. The launch event coincided with the inauguration of a new multi-level parking facility at the Sector 43 District Courts Complex in Chandigarh.
The campaign is a joint effort operating alongside the Forest Departments of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh. It prioritizes indigenous, fruit-bearing, medicinal, and shade-giving plant species designed to maximize local ecological resilience and enhance biodiversity. Moving forward, the project will expand through legal services institutions and local judicial neighborhoods to encourage broader community involvement in environmental conservation.
High-ranking dignitaries accompanied the Chief Justice during the official ceremonies. Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria attended the parking facility inauguration, a project supervised by Justice Deepak Sibal, Chairman of the Building Committee and Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Supreme Court Judge Justice Augustine George Masih, High Court Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra, and Chandigarh Sessions Division Administrative Judge Justice JS Puri also participated in the day’s events.
The initiative highlights established constitutional principles that link environmental health directly to fundamental human rights. The framework draws upon Article 48A and Article 51A(g), which outline the environmental duties of both the State and its citizens. Legal precedents have consistently interpreted the right to life under Article 21 as encompassing the right to a clean and healthy environment.
The judiciary affirmed that the long-term impact of the project rests entirely on ongoing care rather than initial numbers. Chief Justice Surya Kant stated that environmental protection was “both a constitutional obligation and a shared moral responsibility.” He further declared that every sapling planted today is an investment in the future—a living legacy for generations yet to come, while adding that the campaign’s true measure would lie in their survival, protection, and growth.
