NEW DELHI: In an open letter addressed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, over 70 retired civil servants have expressed concern over his recent remarks on environmental litigants during the hearing of an appeal against a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order. The open letter by 71 signatories has been issued by the ‘Constitutional Conduct Group’. The NGT order of Nov 26, 2025, had upheld the environmental and coastal regulation zone clearances granted to Pipavav port expansion project in Gujarat. “Show us one project in India where environmental activists say, ‘We welcome this project, the country is progressing well…’,” the CJI had said in an oral observation that was not part of the written order. In their letter, the retired officials said, “Such statements can foster fear and silence citizens’ voices of dissent, discouraging them from questioning ecological damage and the potential adverse impact on communities and public health.” They further said, “It could create tendencies fundamentally antithetical to democracy.” The signatories include former lieutenant governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, former IAS officer and activist Harsh Mander, former foreign secretary K Raghunath and former environment secretary Meena Gupta. The retired officers said CJI Surya Kant’s remarks reflected a “bias and prejudice” and added that it is “alarming coming from the highest judicial authority of the country”.
