Latest news with #BivasChatterjee
Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
World Environment Day 2025: India has slew of regulations to protect Blue Planet. Know about them
Today, millions worldwide are observing World Environment Day 2025, highlighting the urgent need for eco-legal action. Hosted by South Korea, the UN event drives home how local laws can combat environmental threats. There are multiple initiatives that have been taken across the world regarding the better protection of the environment. For starters, cities like Jeju, South Korea, now enforce strict bans on disposable plastics. Jeju's 2040 "plastic-free" goal includes deposit systems for cups and mandatory waste sorting. Similar bans are expanding globally, cutting landfill waste. The United States is not behind in this aspect, as US cities are rewriting zoning codes to boost sustainability. Buffalo eliminated parking minimums, prioritising walkability over cars. Indianapolis now mandates pedestrian-friendly designs near transit hubs, reducing emissions, according to Urban Land Magazine. In a report by the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP's Inger Andersen was quoted as saying, 'Ending plastic pollution is possible, but we need systemic change—governments, businesses, and citizens together.' Bivas Chatterjee, Advocate and Special Public Prosecutor, Government of West Bengal, tells LiveMint, "We, as humans, must remember that trees too, have a life. If humans are convicted for taking away lives under sections of the law, why are those, who cut down trees brutally, not tried under similar laws? If trees are cut down or uprooted in areas that are not forests, the accused is simply fined, and no other penalisation is generally imposed." "The existing laws regarding environmental protection in India are age-old and relatively weak, which is why the attack on nature is so brutally conducted in recent years. Stringent laws need to be in place so that people do not get away with harming the environment, which is necessary for our sustenance in the long run." Neil Basu, Advocate, Calcutta High Court, weighed in on the existing laws in the country regarding the proper preservation of the environment. "Protecting the environment is a fundamental right and a collective social responsibility, as environmental justice is social justice. So, let's act now," he told LiveMint. "If we start in terms of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, any person running any establishment which includes a factory and any kind of industry must take due permission from the State Pollution Control Board as well as the Central Pollution Control Board concerned," Basu said. "Section 7 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 prohibits the discharge or emission of environmental pollutants in excess of prescribed standards by any person involved in an industry, operation, or process. This ensures that pollution levels remain within acceptable limits and prevent any environmental damage," he continued. Other laws include the Indian Forest Act, 1927, which empowers the state governments to notify forest areas to oversee the wildlife conservation and preservation, as well as plantation and afforestation. Also, Section 17A of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 prohibits the willful picking, uprooting, damaging, destroying, acquisition, or collection of any specified plant from forest land or other areas notified by the central government.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Time of India
SIT to use gait pattern analysis in Shamsherganj double murder case
Kolkata: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) plans to use state-of-the-art techniques to build evidence in the Shamsherganj double murder case . Special prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee has been appointed for the case involving the murder of Haragobindo Das, 70, and his son Chandan, 40, on April SIT plans to use the unique gait pattern technique to build evidence in the case. The chargesheet is likely to be filed by the end of this month. So far, 12 people have been arrested, and two others are still on the the accused, arrested based on CCTV footage, have undergone scientific tests, including gait pattern analysis . Sources said each person's walking, running, or mannerisms have unique patterns. To build up the case, SIT will do a forensic analysis of the CCTV footage. Later, videos of the accused walking inside their jail cells will be matched with the CCTV data to prove the case in court."People walk in specific patterns, which include various stages known as the 'gait cycle'. It consists of two phases: stance and swing. The stance phase consists of five stages: initial contact, loading response, mid-stance, terminal stance, and pre-swing. The swing phase constitutes three stages: initial swing, mid-swing, and terminal swing. The gait pattern examination includes ACE-VR (analysis, comparison, evaluation, verification, and report. After a thorough analysis, the findings are presented in a report format that conclusively proves the presence of the accused at the scene of the crime," said a forensic expert.A week ago, it was claimed that the victims had a conflict with one of the accused over a piece of land. "There was a dispute between the victims and accused Hajrat Ali alias Fitur over the former's property," claimed a SIT official. Hajrat has also allegedly confessed the same to the police. Police superintendent Amit Kumar Sahu had said, "It was initially learned that personal animosity might be behind the murder." Meanwhile, a case has been filed in the Calcutta High Court seeking a CBI April 11, protests against the Waqf Act led to unrest in various areas of Murshidabad. On April 12, looting, vandalism, and arson occurred in six villages, including Betbona and Jafrabad in Shamsherganj. During this, Haragobindo and Chandan were murdered.
