Gauhati High Court on Tuesday fined the Assam forest Department Rs. 10,000 for failing to file an affidavit in connection with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the grant of permission to Oil India Limited (OIL).
The OIL was granted permission by the centre to drill seven wells inside the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park (DSNP), adjacent to the Baghjan well tragedy site.
A High Court bench comprising of Chief Justice, N Kotiswar Singh and justice Manish Choudhury was hearing a PIL jointly filed by advocate Mrinmoy Khataniar and mountaineer Amar Jyoti Deka. The PIL sought the intervention of the court against the Centre’s permission to OIL to drill inside DSNP.
The High court on Tuesday imposed the fine on the forest department for not adhering to the court’s earlier instructions.
During the last hearing on September 30, the court issued notices to a total of 14 respondents which included the Centre and Assam government to file affidavits before the next date hearing.
“On Tuesday, Assam Forest Department which is one of the respondents sought more time to file the affidavit. The court immediately imposed a penalty of Rs. 10,000 on them for failing to file the affidavit. Though the amount is small, it sends a message that the court has taken the issue seriously,” said Debajit Kumar Das, advocate for the petitioners Mrinmoy Khataniar and Amar Jyoti Deka.
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