Former Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, Girija Vaidyanathan has declined to take up charge as an Expert Member of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Times of India reported.

In view of the same, the NGT Principal Bench on Tuesday directed the appointment of K Satyagopal to the post, the report further said.

The development came close on the heels of the Madras High Court declining to set aside her appointment as Expert Member, which was challenged by G Sundarrajan, Managing Trustee of the environmental NGO, Poovulagin Nanbargal.

Sundarrajan had contended that Vaidyanathan did not possess sufficient administrative experience in environmental matters for her to be eligible to the post of NGT expert member.

The High Court, however, dismissed the said contention, although it highlighted certain ambiguities in the law as regards the experience required for bureaucrats to be appointed as Expert Members under Section 5 of the NGT Act.

Following the Madras High Court's dismissal of the petition, Sundarrajan also filed a challenge before the Supreme Court earlier today.