Thane (PTI): Former Supreme Court judge Justice Abhay Oka on said people in major cities may be forced to wear face masks within the next 20 to 25 years unless urgent measures are taken to conserve and protect the environment.

Speaking as the chief guest at an event in Thane, Justice Oka (retd) said protecting the environment will be the single largest challenge facing future generations.

"A widespread misconception has taken hold among both rulers and citizens that humans own the Earth. This mindset has triggered a destructive race involving rampant tree felling, excessive use of firecrackers, noise and air pollution, and the contamination of rivers, lakes, and oceans under various religious and social pretexts," he said.

Stressing that humans are not the masters of Mother Nature, Justice Oka (retd) warned that the failure to safeguard ecosystems will make wearing face masks mandatory in big urban centres within two to two-and-a-half decades, even without a pandemic.

"Protecting the environment is not merely an option, but a fundamental Constitutional duty that every individual must fulfil to prevent irreparable ecological damage," he added.

He advised students to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) for research and data collection, stressing that core thoughts and expressions should be individually developed.

Justice Oka (retd) encouraged youth to study law to strengthen the democratic framework, saying that female students make up 55% to 60% of enrollments across the country's 27 National Law Universities (NLUs) and consistently dominate mock trials, debates, and judgment-writing competitions, alongside a rising representation in judicial appointments.

This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.