Rapid Fire
Central Empowered Committee (CEC)
- 28 Nov 2025
- 3 min read
The Supreme Court (SC) of India has halted any move to dissolve the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), insisting that the body can only be disbanded with its approval, after concerns were raised about overlapping roles with the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
- The Cabinet Secretariat said that since the NGT is now strong and fully functional, the need for the CEC should be reviewed, and asked the Environment Ministry to send the issue to the Law Commission.
Central Empowered Committee (CEC)
- About: It was created in 2002 on a SC order in the T.N. Godavarman case (1995) and was given statutory status in 2023 through a Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notification issued on the SC’s directions.
- Mandate: CEC monitors compliance with SC orders on environment, forest and wildlife matters, conducts field inspections, and submits independent fact-finding reports to SC.
- It reviews cases of non-compliance, oversees issues like encroachment removal and compensatory afforestation, and considers petitions from aggrieved persons to support the Court’s environmental oversight.
- Composition: The CEC consists of a chairperson, three expert members (one from each environment, forest, wildlife), and a member secretary, who are civil servants appointed by the MoEFCC.
- Impact: CEC reports assisted the court in issues like Goa’s first tiger reserve (Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary), tourism regulation in Sariska Tiger Reserve, tree-felling in Hyderabad's Kancha Gachibowli and mining in the Aravallis.
Role of CEC Vs NGT
- NGT: The NGT, set up under the NGT Act, 2010, is a quasi-judicial tribunal that hears original applications under laws like the Water Act 1974, Air Act 1981, Forest Conservation Act 1980, and Environment Protection Act 1986.
- While the NGT adjudicates disputes, the CEC provides technical, factual, and compliance-focused support directly to the Supreme Court.
| Read more: National Green Tribunal (NGT) |
