As per case facts, a company aimed to set up a castor oil industry in a prohibited area near crucial drinking water lakes, facing initial denial from the A.P. Pollution ... Control Board (APPCB) due to pollution risks. The company obtained a government exemption and then secured approval from the Appellate Authority, which deemed the industry non-polluting. After the High Court dismissed public interest litigation against this, APPCB appealed to the Supreme Court. The central legal question arose regarding the judiciary's capacity to resolve complex environmental disputes involving advanced scientific data, conflicting expert opinions, and the application of environmental principles like the Precautionary Principle. Finally, the Supreme Court, recognizing the need for specialized expertise, referred specific scientific and technical issues—like the industry's hazardous nature and pollution impact on the lakes—to the National Environmental Appellate Authority for expert investigation and opinion within three months. The Court highlighted that these expert findings would assist in upholding environmental justice, with their reports remaining subject to its final review.