Efficacy of the National Green Tribunal in Environmental Adjudication: A Critical Analysis of India's Specialized Environmental Court System

Abstract

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) of India represents a pioneering judicial innovation in environmental governance, established in 2010 as the world's third specialized environmental court. This paper examines the efficacy of the NGT in environmental adjudication through a comprehensive analysis of its institutional framework, procedural mechanisms, and adjudicatory outcomes. Employing a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative analysis of case disposal rates and qualitative assessment of landmark judgments, this study evaluates the NGT's performance against its statutory mandates of providing expeditious and effective environmental justice. The findings reveal significant achievements in case disposal efficiency, innovative application of environmental principles, and enhanced access to environmental justice, while simultaneously identifying structural limitations including enforcement challenges, jurisdictional ambiguities, and resource constraints. The analysis demonstrates that while the NGT has substantially transformed India's environmental adjudication landscape, its efficacy remains constrained by systemic challenges that require comprehensive institutional reforms. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on specialized environmental courts and offer insights for jurisdictions considering similar institutional innovations.