Centre seeks Supreme Court stay on Great Nicobar project hearings

The Centre has moved the Supreme Court to stall ongoing hearings into the Great Nicobar project, contending that petitioner Meena Gupta has no locus standi to mount a legal challenge and that the petitions constitute an abuse of judicial process.

The government's intervention comes after the Calcutta High Court rejected identical arguments in May, clearing the way for substantive hearings on the matter scheduled for November. The Nicobar Islands project has drawn scrutiny from environmental and indigenous rights groups concerned about its potential ecological and social impact.

The Centre's position represents a fresh attempt to derail the legal challenge through a higher court forum. Standing requirements, which determine who has the right to initiate proceedings, have become a flashpoint in the dispute, with the government maintaining that Gupta does not satisfy the necessary criteria to pursue the case.

The Supreme Court's response to the government's stay plea is now awaited. The matter underscores ongoing tensions between development imperatives and conservation concerns in India's island territories, with the judicial process becoming the primary arena for dispute resolution.