The Congress has sharply criticised the Union government for approaching the Supreme Court to seek a stay on ongoing proceedings in the Calcutta High Court concerning the Great Nicobar Island project. Party leaders have described the move as an “astonishing U-turn” and accused the Centre of attempting to push forward a large-scale development despite unresolved questions over environmental clearances, forest rights and procedural fairness.
The Immediate Trigger
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh stated that the government has sought Supreme Court intervention to halt further hearings in the High Court. Five separate petitions filed by citizens and civil society groups are pending before the Calcutta High Court. One of these specifically alleges serious violations of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, with implications for local tribal communities.
According to the Congress, the final hearing on these matters had been fixed for November 25 and 26, 2026, and the government had earlier agreed to that schedule. The party argues that seeking a stay at this stage constitutes a sudden reversal of position. The Supreme Court is expected to consider the Centre’s plea around October 5, 2026.
Project Scale and Official Position
The Great Nicobar Island project is estimated at Rs 92,000 crore, revised upward from an earlier figure of around Rs 72,000 crore. It envisages an international container transshipment terminal, a greenfield airport, a power plant and a township. The government has consistently presented the initiative as strategically and economically significant, citing the island’s location near major international shipping routes and the potential to reduce dependence on foreign transshipment hubs.
Supporters of the project emphasise national security and connectivity benefits. Critics, including the Congress, contend that the ecological and social costs have not been adequately weighed and that statutory processes have not been followed with the required rigour.
Core Criticisms Raised by the Congress
Jairam Ramesh has alleged that environmental and forest clearances for the project were “deeply flawed” and that the associated impact assessment reports were “pre-fixed and of dubious value.” The party maintains that the government is “bulldozing” the project despite these concerns.
A further point of contention involves the locus standi of petitioners. The Calcutta High Court had earlier upheld the right of a petitioner—a former senior official who had served in the Union ministries of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Tribal Affairs—to challenge the project. The Congress notes that the government had questioned this right in the High Court and is now advancing similar arguments before the Supreme Court.
The party frames the High Court proceedings as one of the few remaining avenues for independent scrutiny of the project’s approvals and potential impacts on tribal communities and the island’s fragile ecosystem.
Broader Context of Opposition
The Congress has raised objections to the Great Nicobar project over an extended period. Its concerns have centred on the ecological sensitivity of the island, the adequacy of environmental impact assessments, compliance with forest rights legislation, and the balance between strategic claims and commercial development. Party leaders have argued that the unique biodiversity and the rights of indigenous communities require a higher threshold of caution and transparency than has been demonstrated so far.
While the government has pointed to regulatory clearances already obtained and the strategic rationale for the project, the opposition maintains that those clearances themselves remain open to legitimate legal challenge and that judicial examination should be allowed to proceed without interruption.
Legal Process and Institutional Roles
The existence of multiple petitions in the Calcutta High Court indicates that questions surrounding the project have already entered the judicial domain. High Courts routinely examine whether statutory requirements under environmental and forest laws have been met. The Supreme Court’s role, if it entertains the Centre’s plea, will be to decide whether those High Court proceedings should be paused.
From the Congress perspective, allowing the scheduled hearings to continue would permit a full airing of the allegations regarding Forest Rights Act compliance and the quality of impact assessments. From the government’s standpoint, the project’s scale, cost and strategic character may justify seeking higher judicial clarity or protection from protracted litigation.
Stakes for Governance and Accountability
Large infrastructure projects in ecologically sensitive and tribal areas inevitably raise tensions between development objectives, environmental safeguards and community rights. The intensity of the current dispute reflects the high stakes involved: a multi-thousand-crore investment, an island ecosystem of recognised importance, and the legal protections afforded to forest-dwelling communities under national legislation.
The Congress’s intervention keeps public attention focused on questions of process—whether approvals were robust, whether tribal consent and rights were properly addressed, and whether impact studies meet accepted standards. The Centre’s decision to move the Supreme Court keeps attention focused on questions of national interest, project timelines and the appropriate forum for resolving such disputes.
What Lies Ahead
The coming weeks will be significant. The Supreme Court’s handling of the Centre’s stay petition will determine whether the Calcutta High Court can proceed with the November hearings as scheduled. Those hearings, if they take place, would provide a detailed judicial examination of the specific legal challenges that have been raised.
In the meantime, the political argument continues. The Congress portrays the government’s latest legal step as an attempt to shield the project from scrutiny. The government is likely to defend both the project’s necessity and its right to seek relief from the highest court. The outcome will influence not only the future of the Great Nicobar initiative but also broader perceptions of how environmental and rights-based challenges to major projects are managed within India’s constitutional framework.
The debate over Great Nicobar thus remains both a specific dispute about one island development and a larger test of the balance between strategic ambition, ecological caution and procedural integrity.
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