Bengaluru: In his inaugural address at ‘Sustainable Energy: An Agenda for India @2047′, a conference organised by the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) here Saturday, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, “The only defensible development is one that is environmentally responsible.““India’s vision for 2047 must synchronise economic growth with ecological sensibility,” he said, describing energy justice as the “moral architecture” of India’s future. Rejecting the idea that the concept is imported, he said it is rooted in India’s constitutional framework and safeguards “clean air, clean water, and a liveable future.”Highlighting Article 21 as the constitutional basis for balancing growth and ecology, he said India’s energy transition must rest on four pillars — affordability, accessibility, equity, and inclusion. “Clean energy must not become a privilege for the few,” he said, cautioning that the costs of transition should not disproportionately burden marginalised communities. Emphasising the judiciary’s evolving environmental approach, the CJI said courts have moved beyond the traditional “polluter pays” doctrine. “We no longer just say, if you pollute, you will pay. The question we now ask is far more demanding: have you done everything reasonably possible to avoid polluting in the first place? Our task is to move from a purely reactive model to one that integrates environmental protection into the very design of development — not as an afterthought, but as a foundation,” he said.Citing a recent case (Bindu Kapuria) involving the construction of a road to a paramilitary hospital that required felling 700 trees, the CJI said the court permitted the project while ordering compensatory afforestation over 185 acres of land and plantation of over 1.7 lakh trees as part of a “balanced and restorative approach”.Karnataka Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru said, “Energy justice means energy must be accessible, affordable and sustainable. In India, the clean energy transition must not deepen inequalities or marginalise vulnerable communities.” Chief minister Siddaramaiah highlighted Karnataka’s leadership at the national level in renewable energy with an installed capacity of 25,700 MW.The two-day conference is expected to culminate in the Bengaluru Declaration on Sustainable Energy and Energy Justice, envisioned as a roadmap for India’s energy security, climate action and sustainable development goals.
