Central Empowered Committee (CEC)
Role in Forest and Wildlife Governance
The Central Empowered Committee was constituted by the Supreme Court in 2002 (initially in Godavarman Thirumulkpad v. Union of India, the ongoing forest conservation case) to assist the Court in monitoring forest and wildlife-related orders. The CEC has the power to receive complaints about forest violations, conduct field inspections, and submit detailed reports to the Court. Its findings carry significant weight because they inform Supreme Court orders — making it a unique hybrid of judicial oversight and technical expertise.
- CEC was constituted under the Supreme Court's directions in the T.N. Godavarman case — India's longest-running environmental case (since 1995).
- The Committee typically comprises retired IFS (Indian Forest Service) officers, legal experts, and retired judges.
- CEC reports have directly led to mining bans, stay orders, and afforestation directives in multiple cases.
- The CEC operates as the Court's "eyes on the ground" for forest and wildlife enforcement — a model of judicial environmental monitoring.
- Similar empowered committees function under the NGT (National Green Tribunal) for specific project-level monitoring.
● Tracked since April 02, 2026 · last seen August 23, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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