Climate litigation surges in India have emerged as a key component of environmental governance, signaling a dramatic change toward judicial climate accountability. India has so far registered 14 climate-related cases, according to the United Nations Environment Programme and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School’s Global Climate Litigation Report 2025: Climate Change in the Courtroom, which was jointly released on October 9. According to the paper, courts around the world are increasingly interpreting the objectives of the Paris Agreement through the prisms of equity, intergenerational justice, and human rights.

Our country is joining the rising number of countries in the Global South that are addressing environmental and climate issues through the legal system as climate litigation surges in India. These cases cover a broad spectrum of topics, including climate adaptation, renewable energy commitments, air pollution, and deforestation.

India’s Expanding Legal Landscape for Climate Justice

As of June 2025, more than 3,099 climate-related claims had been brought in 24 international or regional courts and tribunals, spanning 55 jurisdictions, according to the UNEP report. The 14 cases from India show that the legal system is increasingly recognizing the right to a clean and healthy environment assured by the constitution.

The report’s salient features include:

• Judicial leadership: Climate issues are increasingly being taken into account by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court of India.
• Constitutional foundation: The right to a healthy environment is now being understood to include the rights to equality before the law and life, as given by Articles 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution.
• Alignment with national goals: India’s pledges to increase the capacity of renewable energy sources, improve climate resilience, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 are all complemented by judicial actions.

The Supreme Court struck a balance between biodiversity conservation and the growth of renewable energy in the landmark case of Mk Ranjitsinh & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors., which is included in the report. The ruling established a standard for climate-inclusive decision-making by acknowledging both the “right to a healthy environment” and the “right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change.”

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The Broader Implications of India’s Climate Litigation Movement

Instead of being a result of sporadic court rulings, climate litigation surges in India indicates broader changes in environmental governance. The Health and Human Rights report claims that Indian courts are increasingly connecting ecological preservation with social justice and considering environmental degradation as a human rights infringement.

The right to be free from the negative consequences of climate change is now supported by the Supreme Court’s interpretation of Articles 14 and 21, expanding the constitutional foundation for environmental preservation. This position has been echoed by the National Green Tribunal, which highlights the State’s obligation to shield its population from the effects of climate change.

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