Supreme Court on Corporate Duty to Protect the Environment:
- Context: Judgment delivered on petitions concerning risks faced by the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
- CSR includes environmental responsibility:
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) must inherently include environmental protection.
- Corporations, as legal persons, have a fundamental duty to protect the ecosystem.
- The court brought companies under the ambit of Article 51A(g) of the Constitution
- Article 51A(g)- “to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures”.
- Great Indian Bustard
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- One of the heaviest flying birds in the world.
- Flagship species of the arid and semi-arid grasslands of the Indian subcontinent.
- Primarily located in and around the Great Thar desert.
- IUCN Red List – Critically Endangered
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (Schedule I).
