1. How many of the following statements about the National Green Tribunal (NGT) is/are
correct?
1. It is a statutory body established under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
2. The Tribunal shall be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure,
1908.
3. The Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 has been kept out
of NGT’s jurisdiction.

Answer: A
Explanation
● It is a statutory body established in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
● It is a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental
disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.
● The Tribunal shall not be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil
Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by principles of natural justice. Hence statement 2 is
incorrect.
● The Tribunal is vested with the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure
for discharging its functions but it can make its own rules.
● It provides speedy environmental justice and helps reduce the burden of litigation in the
higher courts.
● New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and
Chennai shall be the other four places of sitting of the Tribunal.
Tribunal’s composition
● The Tribunal has a presence in five zones- North, Central, East, South and West. The
Principal Bench is situated in the North Zone, headquartered in Delhi.
● The Central zone bench is situated in Bhopal, East zone in Kolkata, South zone in Chennai
and West zone in Pune.
● The Tribunal is headed by the Chairperson who sits in the Principal Bench and has at least
ten but not more than twenty judicial members and at least ten but not more than twenty
expert members.
Tribunal’s Jurisdiction
● The NGT deals with civil cases under the seven laws related to the environment, these
include
○ The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
○ The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977
○ The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
○ The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
○ The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
○ The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 and
○ The Biological Diversity Act, 2002

● Two important acts – Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Scheduled Tribes and Other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 have been kept out of
NGT’s jurisdiction. Hence statement 3 is correct.
● The Tribunal has jurisdiction over all civil cases involving a substantial question relating to
the environment. Additionally, any person aggrieved by an order/direction of any of the
Appellate Authorities under the legislations mentioned above can also challenge them
before the National Green Tribunal.
Are decisions of the Tribunal final?
● The Tribunal has powers to review its own decisions. If this fails, the decision can be
challenged before the Supreme Court within ninety days.

2. Consider the following statements regarding the Gangetic river dolphins.
1. It is listed as critically endangered under the IUCN red list.
2. It can be naturally found only in the Ganges river system including the tributaries of Ganga.

Answer: D
Explanation
Both the statements are incorrect.
● Gangetic river dolphin is among the four freshwater dolphins in the world which is found in
parts of the Ganges-Meghna-Brahmaputra and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems in
India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.The Gangetic river dolphin is India's national aquatic
animal and is popularly known as ‘Susu’.
● Its presence indicates the health of the riverine ecosystem.
● The Gangetic Dolphins are generally blind and catch their prey in a unique manner. They
emit an ultrasonic sound which reaches the prey. The dolphin then registers this image in
its mind and subsequently catches hold of its prey.
● In addition to the species being India’s national aquatic animal, the Gangetic dolphin has
been notified by the Assam government as the state aquatic animal, too.
● The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Gangetic dolphin
as an endangered species (not critically endangered) in India.
● The Conservation Action Plan for the Gangetic Dolphin, 2010-2020, identified threats to
these dolphins that include the impact of river traffic, construction of irrigation canals and
depletion of their prey-base.
● It is classified under Schedule 1, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 providing absolute
protection as offenses under these are prescribed the highest penalties.
● Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district is India’s
only sanctuary for its national aquatic animal.

3. The Right to Silence; is primarily associated with which Article of the Indian Constitution?

Answer: C
Explanation
● The ‘Right to silence’ is rooted in Article 20(3) of the Indian Constitution, which stipulates
that no one can be compelled to testify against themselves.

● This provision grants accused individuals protection against self-incrimination,
constituting a fundamental right.
● It contains provisions related to No ex-post-facto law, No double jeopardy, No self- incrimination.

4. Consider the following
Ports Located at
1. Deendayal Port Gujarat
2. Ennore Port Andhra pradesh
3. Paradip Port West Bengal

Answer: A
Explanation
● Pair 1 is correct: Deendayal Port - Located in Gujarat.
● Pair 2 is incorrect: Ennore Port - Located in Tamil Nadu, not Andhra Pradesh.
● Pair 3 is incorrect: Paradip Port - Located in Odisha, not West Bengal.

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