According to the Supreme Court, what remains a 'sacrosanct' requirement under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) framework?
Payment of fines after violations
Judicial intervention in every industrial dispute
Obtaining prior environmental clearance
Submission of post-project environmental audits
View Answer
Correct Answer: C — Obtaining prior environmental clearance
Explanation:
The Supreme Court reaffirmed the centrality of the 'prior approval' principle under the EIA Notification, 2006 — no industrial project can begin, expand, or change operations without first obtaining environmental clearance. The Court struck down 2017 and 2021 government notifications allowing post-facto approvals as violative of this core principle, though industries already regularised under those notifications were left unaffected.