New Delhi: In four out of every five cases pertaining to matters of environmental and forest clearances, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) appears to have favoured industrial developers, The Indian Express reported. An investigation conducted by the daily found that the NGT, India’s green watchdog, which came into existence to safeguard public interest against ecological degradation, has done so by either upholding such a contested clearance, or staying its denial.The report studied over 100,000 NGT orders between 2020 and 2025. It states that of the 329 appeals filed by citizens and activists against the grant of clearances by the government during this period, “only in 20% (65 cases), did the NGT rule in favour of the appeal”. “Conversely, when the project’s proponents appealed against the denial of clearances by the government, in nearly 80% (126 of 160) of the cases, they secured relief,” it said.This is in stark contrast with previous years where data shows a more balanced approach where relief for both sides hovered between 18% and 31% (2016-2019).Majority of the cases, heard by the tribunal’s five benches in Delhi (Principal), Bhopal (Central), Pune (Western), Kolkata (Eastern) and Chennai (Southern) were on air and water pollution, as well as coastal zone regulations.The NGT is the apex green court of India. It was formed in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act of 2010, for “effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources”. According to Express, the tribunal decided on 329 filed against environmental or forest clearances (EC/FCs) granted to various projects and another 159 appeals that challenged the rejection or cancellation of EC/FCs.Of the 329 appeals, 264 did not get any relief. These projects included those who challenged clearances granted to companies including Adani Petronet (Dahej) Port; Vedanta, Jindal Power; Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd; Honnavar Port Pvt Ltd; Oil India; NHAI; NBCC; Alang shipyard, Ultratech Cement, Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Limited (NLCIL); major mines such as Singrauli, Dipka, Parsa East-Kanta Basan; and power plants such as Khurja super thermal and the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydel project, the report stated.Meanwhile, among 65 cases that got relief included appeals against mining close to Taj Mahal; a housing project of Godrej Properties in Bengaluru; a Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) project in Karnataka; marble mines near Rajasthan’s Bandh-Baretha sanctuary; and a greenfield captive jetty project near Orissa’s Paradeep Port etc.Of the 159 appeals against rejection or cancellation of environmental/forest clearances or penalties, 33 were unsuccessful while the remaining 126 got relief from the NGT benches.The Wire has previously reported how the NGT’s refusal to interfere with the environmental clearance given to the infrastructure projects on Great Nicobar island in the Andaman and Nicobar has drawn flak from several quarters.The NGT had said that it found ‘no good grounds’ to interfere with the environmental clearance that the Union environment ministry gave in 2022 for an international transshipment terminal, a township, a power plant and a greenfield airport on the Island, costing more than Rs 80,000 crore.On Wednesday (February 26), at the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute (AAETI) in Nimli, Rajasthan, former Supreme Court judge, Justice Deepak Gupta also took a sharp view of the NGT at present, saying the judiciary is “stepping back” when it comes to the environment.“Judges have to be people who also care for the environment,” he said and added, “It’s not that if you’re a green judge, you don’t let anything be done; we also want progress but it has to be sustainable development”.