Indian court gives Ganges, Yamuna rivers same rights as a human

E-Paper | March 11, 2026

A court in northern India has granted the same legal rights as a human to the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, considered sacred by nearly a billion Indians.

The Uttaranchal High Court in Uttarakhand state ruled Monday that the two rivers be accorded the status of living human entities, meaning that if anyone harms or pollutes the rivers, the law would view it as no different from harming a person.

Also read: Can Modi clean the Ganges, India’s biggest sewerage line?

The judges cited the example of New Zealand's Whanganui River, which was declared a living entity by a New Zealand court last week.

The Uttaranchal court appointed three officials to act as legal custodians responsible for conserving and protecting the rivers and their tributaries.

Rampant pollution, deforestation and dumping of sewage have shrunk water levels in many Indian rivers.

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Can Modi clean the Ganges, India’s biggest sewerage line?

Tan

Mar 21, 2017 05:12pm

This is a good move to clean the Ganges, which is the life source of the North India

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Mar 21, 2017 05:13pm

Its is pity that sewage is dumped in river whose water is used for drinking purpose

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mandy

Mar 21, 2017 05:15pm

HISTORICAL!!!

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N.S

Mar 21, 2017 05:26pm

But India has no same rights for all humans. It is based on higher castes and lower castes and outside the Hindu caste like Dalits and scheduled tribes. So the human right they gave to the river is of higher castes or of lower castes...as currently Ganges has turned into a sewage drain...not drinkable if not untouchable...but people still drinking its water and throwing the burnt corpses and the remains into it as well.

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Tale

Mar 21, 2017 05:41pm

Newzealand became first country in the world to give a river rights as human

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AbdUl

Mar 21, 2017 05:41pm

@N.S Seen the polluted rivers in sindh mixed with sewage which people are forced to drink? Pakistan has worst rank in terms of providing clean source of drinking water. Let's not point fingers at others when we have our own Ahmedis, shias, other religion minorities fighting for equal rights.

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Bupi

Mar 21, 2017 05:49pm

@N.S Dear why do people like you have nagtive Approach as Indians we should have respect for certain things Casteism if it is in society now some cast's get benefit in education services & even in promotions. By giving respect to such Rivers its great one should respect.

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PTI SUPPORTER

Mar 21, 2017 05:48pm

Modi govt is taking 10 steps backward every other day.

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AhMAd

Mar 21, 2017 05:59pm

@PTI SUPPORTER No need to explain you comment after seeing you name :)

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Raj Patel

Mar 21, 2017 06:09pm

@PTI SUPPORTER Then you should be over joyed as India is going backward!!!!!!Don't worry about India. Indian consider river as mother now it was officially treated as living entity.

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Pure ind

Mar 21, 2017 06:11pm

@N.S get educated caste system doesn't exist in most of India except the rural parts. & guess protecting water resources is more important in India guess Pakistan should also follow suit.

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M.S.PATIL

Mar 21, 2017 06:28pm

@ NS @ PTI SUPPORTER There is something called ' sense of obligation and respect for nature ' which is hallmark of each Religion. To truly understand and respect others feelings one has to understand own faith first. Read any sacred scripture and you will find concern and teaching on environment conservation.

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Nilesh

Mar 21, 2017 06:34pm

@PTI SUPPORTER really??? If you don't pass such laws, the culprits will go scotch free... we welcome this move.... water is a big issue for future

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Devendra G

Mar 21, 2017 06:34pm

@N.S " But India has no same rights for all humans." Better we don't exchange views on this Sir ! Less said the better as entire world is well aware about the realities in each country on this matter.

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Maxx

Mar 21, 2017 06:40pm

@M.S.PATIL That was my point exactly. First thing first start with all humanity is equal and all human beings has the same rights. No apartheid as followed in India in the name of caste based divide. All for environmental preservation, ecosystem preservation and clean rivers and surroundings. This is what I've pointed out Ganges need a clean up in real term and not considering it just a clean river in spiritual term.

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Salmam

Mar 21, 2017 06:44pm

What about the rights of Dalit, aren't they human being???

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Alba

Mar 21, 2017 06:46pm

@N.S ... The Untouchables are going to clean the Ganges and be elevated in their next lives.

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Asif Kashmiri

Mar 21, 2017 06:54pm

I like this decision

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Asif Kashmiri

Mar 21, 2017 06:51pm

@Alba good one

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M.Saeed

Mar 21, 2017 06:57pm

So, the two rivers will have a voting right now, in Indian elections.

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N.S

Mar 21, 2017 06:58pm

@Alba Dalits/untouchables are known as one of the most discriminated against people in India, generally prohibited from even touching members of higher castes. They are not generally allowed to perform most Hindu rituals, including the Kumbh dip in Yamuna, and a dip in Ganges as well

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Jaywa

Mar 21, 2017 06:59pm

@Alba How about cleaning one's own mess rather than pointing fingers at others?

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Ahmed bin Babar

Mar 21, 2017 07:01pm

good move...

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M.Saeed

Mar 21, 2017 07:03pm

Even Indus would have been a holy river, if in India. It is the birthplace of the earliest civilization of Indian subcontinent and all the names like Hind, Sindh, Hindu and Sindhu have their roots in Indus.

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clean water

Mar 21, 2017 07:03pm

Good move, every individual deserves clean drinking water and clean surroundings. Words should be backed up by action.

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Subhash bose

Mar 21, 2017 07:11pm

@N.S Well said.

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Subhash bose

Mar 21, 2017 07:14pm

@M.Saeed If you do not understood the importance of the court decision, please read the news again. Do not make every thing political. It will effects seen over generations.

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Priya

Mar 21, 2017 07:18pm

@Maxx Why should humans get precedence over nature. As for the caste system, we have affirmative action and laws to protect them.You'll go to jail for using the term "untouchable".

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Amin Bashir

Mar 21, 2017 07:21pm

Delighted to read this ruling and hope Modi government will enforce it now and clean the rivers under national health care legislation.

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Abc of politics

Mar 21, 2017 07:45pm

Not only the rivers are heavily polluted but the people,animals,birds,get sick after drinking its water.The Court has taken the right decision and must be appreciated.

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Bit saf

Mar 21, 2017 07:57pm

This is all rubbish. If they wanted to clean the river they could do it even if it is an inanimate object.

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beat the odds

Mar 21, 2017 07:57pm

@N.S There are many untouchables who have beaten the odds to become top leaders in India,here are the few. You might be surprised that Indian constitution and laws favors untouchable than non-untouchables. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Founding father of modern India K. G. Balakrishnan, Former Chief Justice of India K. R. Narayanan, Former President of India Mayawati, Four time Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Dr. Ashok Tanwar, President of Haryana Congress, Ex-Member of Parliament. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dalits

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mywahala

Mar 21, 2017 08:09pm

@beat the odds old news..

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mywahala

Mar 21, 2017 08:10pm

@Devendra G well some peeps need a response and proof.

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mywahala

Mar 21, 2017 08:13pm

@M.Saeed who cares about votes? duh

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SID

Mar 21, 2017 08:18pm

@N.S Dalits are taking bath in Kumbh mela since 2013 . Things are changing day by day. It is not possible to change the mindset of one billion people in a decade. Dalits and Muslims are in backward segment of Indian society because they have been used as vote bank for last 50 years .

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not very bad

Mar 21, 2017 09:10pm

@N.S The situation of untouchables in India is 49-50% positive, its not very bad as you think over the days things are improving for the better because Dalits are getting education and skill and hence they are started doing white collar jobs than their traditional blue collar jobs. In India People who do white collar jobs are consider touchable/clean and who do blue collar jobs are consider untouchable/unclean, many Dalits are taking up white collar jobs which gives them social status,lot of money, prevents them from exploitation and hence there is a lot of hope for the future of the Dalit community in India.

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Rohail

Mar 21, 2017 09:10pm

@PTI SUPPORTER Good for us ;)

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Honestly

Mar 21, 2017 10:25pm

@PTI SUPPORTER To keep progressing 100 times ahead of everyone else in the region becoming the one of the fatest growing economy in entire world leaving behind even ur Iron brother. (P.S. no offence to china. she is one of our largest trade partner and we may have difference but we both know how handle it keeping our national interest on the top.) On the other hand all best to you ! Hope the country's leader will awake and bring the nation to its right path.

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Patel, USA

Mar 22, 2017 03:24am

Excellent move whole world needs to respect their waterways and take care for the future generations. Water is life most precious commodity.

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R S Chakravarti

Mar 22, 2017 08:10am

@Nilesh You mean scot free (scotch would mean whisky).

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