Apex Court stays HC’s landmark judgment which accorded Ganga and Yamuna Rivers status of Living entities

July 7, 2017

On Friday, the Apex Court stayed the landmark judgement that accorded the Ganga & Yamuna rivers the status of “living human entities”.

On 20th March, this year, the Uttarakhand High Court had accorded the status of “living human entities” to the 2 rivers. This was to enable the “conservation & preservation of the 2 rivers & to protect the recognition & faith of the society.”

Following this the Uttarakhand govt. moved to the Supreme Court challenging the HC order.

“Let me be very clear, that we aren’t against according of living entity status to the 2 holy rivers Ganga & Yamuna,” Uttarakhand minister Madan Kaushik had said in May.

The Uttarakhand High Court had cited New Zealand’s bill which made Whanganui river, revered by the indigenous Maori people, the 1st in the world to be recognized as a living entity with complete legal rights.