Supreme Court to examine if law is diluting India’s wetland count
The Supreme Court of India is set to review the constitutional validity of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, which have been criticized for excluding many human-made wetlands from protection. Environmental activists argue that this exclusion undermines India's commitments under the Ramsar Convention and could lead to the loss of protected status for numerous important waterbodies. The petitioners contend that the 2017 rules dilute previous protections established in the 2010 regulations, which included all types of wetlands.
- ▪The Supreme Court will examine a challenge to the definition of 'wetlands' in the 2017 rules.
- ▪Activists argue that the new definition excludes most human-made wetlands from protection.
- ▪The petition claims that the 2017 rules violate India's obligations under the Ramsar Convention.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) agreed to examine a challenge to the constitutional validity of the definition of ‘wetlands’ in the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, for arbitrarily excluding most human-made, artificial, and historically developed wetlands from environmental protection and diluting accountability through decentralised oversight.A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued a formal notice to the Union Government on a petition filed jointly by a group of environmental activists and professionals led by Ravindra Sinha that the definition of ‘wetlands’ in Rule 2(g) of the 2017 law was inconsistent with India’s binding international obligations under the Ramsar Convention, 1971.
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