A counsel for the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change today assured the Delhi High Court that the ministry would expedite the process of appointing new judges to the National Green Tribunal. The NGT handles environment-related cases in the country.

The ministry was responding to a case filed on August 25 by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal that called the court’s attention to the fact that only two of the five tribunal benches would be able to function after February, once current members completed their terms. “The court has recorded an assurance by the counsel for [the environment ministry] that judges will be appointed in an expeditious manner,” said Sumeer Sodhi, the advocate representing Bansal.

Four days after Bansal filed the case, the ministry opened applications for new judicial and expert members for the tribunal on August 29. The call for applications for these positions will end on September 18.

The tribunal is already functioning at less than its minimum strength. The High Court has directed the ministry to file a status report by the next hearing which will be on October 31.