Environmental law is an important instrument of environmental management. The existing laws relating to the environment has developed through legislative and judicial initiative in India. For a long time the subject of environment was a part of various civil and criminal laws specifying rights of individuals, groups of people and the state over the nature i.e., land, water, air, plants, wild life, etc. The Constitution of India clearly states that it is the duty of the state to 'protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country'. The Constitution of India imposes a duty on every citizen 'to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife'. Both the Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Rights refer to the environment. In 1976, the forty-second amendment to the Constitution introduced principles of environmental protection through Articles 48A and 51A (g). Article 48A, part of the Directive Principles of State Policy imposes obligation upon the State to protect and improve the environment. Article 51A (g) of the Constitution also imposes obligation upon the citizens to protect and improve the environment. Owing to the amendment, the subjects of “forests” and “protection of wild animals and birds” have been moved from the State List to the Concurrent List. These constitutional provisions have been endorsed by a number of Acts, Rules, and Notifications. After the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held at Stockholm in 1972, where India was a participant, it was realized that that a framework of laws was necessary to deal with environmental hazards that was resulting from the process of development. The first law on protection of environment in India was the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974 and it was followed by other major enactments.
