Public Interest Litigation As A Mechanism For Implementing Sustainable Development Goals In India: Bridging Constitutional And International Commitments

Abstract

This paper looks at Public Interest Litigation (PIL) as a judicial tool for the enforcement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in India. The paper seeks to examine the ways through which PIL links constitutional duties under Articles 14, 21 and 32 with India’s obligations as per the SDGs under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The paper also seeks to assess the role of the judiciary in transforming the principles of sustainable development into legal action through PIL jurisprudence. The study applies a legal research method. It employs constitutional provisions, judgments from the Indian Supreme Court cases of M.C. Mehta v. Union of India and Vellore Citizens’ Welfare Forum v. Union of India, as well as international instruments such as UN Sustainable Development Goals and international environmental treaties. Secondary sources include peer-reviewed articles, policy papers, and legal resources like ResearchGate, IJIRT, IJCRT, and Manupatra. The main findings show that PIL has been used as a judicial tool for the inclusion of sustainable development principles in the Indian Constitution. This is evident in environmental jurisprudence where Article 21 has been interpreted to include the right to a clean and healthy environment. In addition to that, PIL has contributed positively towards environmental governance and justice through various judgments. Nonetheless, some issues still remain with regard to implementing judicial directives in practice, especially owing to administrative and organizational limitations. These consequences reveal that PIL is an essential constitutional tool towards achieving the goals of SDGs in India. PIL’s potential may be increased through coordinated efforts between constitutional bodies and systematic application of SDG concepts in judicial decision-making. It would guarantee coherence in the interpretation of constitutional law, governance and international sustainable development standards.