A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal has sought responses from the Centre and the National Green Tribunal on a plea challenging filing fees, miscellaneous application fees and printing charges before the NGT.
The Delhi High Court has issued notice on a plea challenging the fee regime before the National Green Tribunal, including filing fees, miscellaneous application fees and printing charges for online filings. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal sought responses from the concerned respondents and listed the matter for further hearing on 24 July 2026.
The plea has been filed by Ajay Dubey. The challenge is directed against Rule 12(2) and Rule 12(2A) of the National Green Tribunal (Practices and Procedure) Rules, 2011, along with an office order dated 18 September 2019 relating to printing charges.
According to the plea, Rule 12(2) prescribes a fee of Rs. 1,000 for filing applications or appeals before the NGT, while Rule 12(2A) requires a minimum fee of Rs. 500 for each miscellaneous application, irrespective of its nature. The petition also questions the 2019 office order, which states that where hard copies are not filed, printing cost of Rs. 100 per 25 pages would be charged.
The plea challenges the legality and reasonableness of the fee structure on the ground that the filing fee, miscellaneous application fee and additional printing charges place an excessive financial burden on litigants approaching the environmental tribunal. At this stage, the High Court has only issued notice and sought responses. No final adjudication has yet been made on the validity of the impugned provisions or the office order.
