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Sabyasachi Patra
15-09-2009, 08:06 PM
An important news item:

High Court to have Green Bench
P. Venugopal
MUNNAR: In line with the Supreme Court of India, the Kerala High Court is going to have a Green Bench to hear cases relating to forests and environment.
Kerala Chief Justice S.R. Bannurmath stated this during a three-day nature sensitisation programme, currently on in Munnar, for the judges of the High Court.
He told mediapersons, accompanying them in the forests with the protection staff, that the Kerala Green Bench would be in position most probably on November 1. Certain things such as segregating the environment cases from the clutter of cases now before the High Court had to be accomplished before that.

“Hopefully, on November 1 (Kerala formation day),” he said, hinting that he wanted to make this present to the future generations of the State on the date the State came into being 49 years ago.

Earlier, at a gathering of the judges and top forest officials to mark the inauguration of the sensitisation programme on Friday night, Justice P.R. Raman, who delivered the keynote address, mentioned about the proposed Green Bench.

The remark was greeted with joy by Forest Minister Benoy Viswom, who presided over the function. “This has been our dream for many years,” he said.
Trekking up the Eravikulam National Park through the morning mist on Saturday, Mr. Bannurmath and the fellow judges were briefed of the unique flora of the rolling hills around. A herd of Nilgiri tahr bounded up an incline close by.

Many of the judges in the Kerala High Court, including him, would have become botanists or zoologists, had they not taken to law after graduation, he said.
Twenty-three judges and their families were in the group that also visited a tribal settlement and the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday. They sat through lengthy presentations by experts and protection staff on the threats stalking the forests of the State.

The three-day programme, which will end on Sunday, was conducted on the initiative of the Chief Justice, with the Forest Department facilitating the field visits and classes. Mr. Bannurmath said such sensitisation programmes would be conducted for the judges of the subordinate courts also [so that those hearing questions of law relating to nature and environment would be deeply sensitive about the Eternal Law too.


The original article can be found at the following link:
http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/13/stories/2009091350200100.htm



(http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/13/stories/2009091350200100.htm)