Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra v. State of U.P.

Facts

• Limestone quarrying operations in the Mussoorie hills, an ecologically sensitive area, were causing significant environmental damage
• The quarrying affected forest cover, soil stability, and the broader ecology of the hill region
• The petitioners sought closure of these operations on environmental grounds
• The mining operations provided employment and economic benefit to workers and the local economy

Issue

1. Whether illegal or environmentally damaging limestone quarrying should be halted, balanced against the economic and livelihood interests connected to the mining operations.

Held

• The Supreme Court ordered closure of certain mining operations found to be causing significant ecological damage
• The Court balanced this environmental protection against the genuine economic and livelihood interests at stake
• This represented an early instance of direct judicial intervention in environmental degradation, preceding India's mature statutory environmental framework

Ratio Decidendi

Courts must weigh environmental protection against genuine developmental, economic, and livelihood interests, rather than treating either consideration as automatically overriding the other: an early articulation of the sustainable development balancing principle in Indian jurisprudence.