Abstract

Courts have been bestowed upon to interpret statutes because the law is ever-evolving, and there is a different perspective to every other case. The provisions made by the legislature may at times need more explanation to broaden the ambit of the law or maybe unclear; this is where the interpretation of statutes comes to play to assist in bringing out the real intention of the legislature. In the context of environmental laws and principles, most of the jurisprudence has been created through the interpretation of statutes only, where many PILs by people and suo-moto actions by the courts helped in taking cognizance of matters and identify the lacunas in law to assist in making laws as useful as they are today. This paper analyses various interpretations in the context of the right to life and liberty provided under Article 21 and different international laws and instruments. It also focuses upon the history of propounding the environment law principles and the interpretation of these principles as per various case laws towards the benefit of the environment.

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