New Delhi, Jul 9 (IANS): The Congress on Sunday accused the BJP government of sparing no effort to weaken the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and its effectiveness and claimed that with the retirement of its Chairperson, who was, as per law, a retired Supreme Court judge, serious doubts have arisen as to whether someone who has served in the apex court will agree to head it.

Congress General Secretary, in charge of communication, Jairam Ramesh said: "The NGT was set up in October 2010 by an Act of Parliament making India one of the very few countries to have such a specialised institution to protect the environment and ensure sustainable development."

"Since 2014 the Modi government has spared no effort to weaken the NGT and dilute its effectiveness. Now it faces a crucial test. With the retirement of its Chairperson this Thursday, who was as per law a retired judge of the Supreme Court, serious doubts have arisen as to whether such a jurist who has served on the apex court will agree to be the Chairperson given the way it has been emasculated.

"We can only hope that the original spirit of the NGT Act is preserved although its letter has been amended to make the position of the Chairperson less attractive to a retired Supreme Court judge," Ramesh, a former Union Minister, added.

His remarks came after NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel retired on Thursday after a five-year stint.

In its statement, the NGT said during his tenure starting July 6, 2018, a total of 16,042 cases were disposed of. Of these, 8,419 were settled by the Justice Goel-led Benches. Justice Goel is also credited with taking up cases on NGT’s unmanned Benches.

The Centre then appointed Justice Sheo Kumar Singh, a judicial member of the NGT, as its acting Chairperson following the retirement of Justice Goel.