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The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought Centre’s response on a plea seeking contempt action against it for alleged "wilful disobedience" of a judicial order to ensure the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 2020 is published in all the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution within 10 days from 30 June.

The next date of hearing is 17 August.

The plea by Vikrant Tongad alleges that the ministry has “wilfully and deliberately defied and disobeyed the directions passed by this Hon’ble Court in para 10 of the said Judgment, having neither published the translated versions of the draft EIA 2020 in the Scheduled langauages of the Constitution on either on the websites of the Environment Ministeries of States or the those of the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), nor the Respondent sought any extension of time beyond the 10 days as directed by this Hon’ble Court."

“The process of Public Consultation, with respect to the draft EIA 2020, would have to be a meaningful public consultation according to the Petitioner. Such a meaningful consultation was not only difficult but nearly impossible due to the disruption caused by COVID 19, and the failure of the Respondents in giving wide publicity to the provisions of the draft notification, as well as the failure to translate the draft into the regional Indian languages . That vide judgment dated 30th June, 2020, this Hon’ble Court was pleased to direct the extension of the time limit to file the objections to the draft notification up to 11th August, 2020." It added.

The high order in a 30 June order had observed that looking at the far reaching consequences of the public consultation process for which the draft notification has been published, "we are of the view that it would be in aid of effective dissemination of the proposed notification if arrangements are made for its translation into other languages as well, at least those mentioned in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution".

“Such translations should also be published through the website of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India as well as on websites of environment ministries of all states as well as those of state pollution control boards, within 10 days from today," the court had said.

The order had come on the plea seeking extension of the time to respond to the draft EIA 2020 till September or till the COVID-19 pandemic subsists.