An Analysis of the Complex Framework of Corporate Accountability and Sustainable Development from the Perspective of Environmental Degradation in the Indian Scenario

ABSTRACT Corporate environmental accountability is becoming a burning issue of legal and governance concern in India as there is a rapid increase in industrialisation and environmental degradation. Despite the presence of a deep statutory and judicial system, the corporate actions that harm the environment keep disrupting the sustainable development goals. In this paper, the author is going to analyze the relationship between corporate accountability and the environmental degradation and the sustainable development in the Indian legal environment as a complex. The research has a doctrinal legal research approach and examines the provisions of the constitution, environmental laws, court decisions, and international environmental obligations that India has made. It sharply assesses regulatory loopholes, enforcement issues, corporate disclosure processes and the changing role of courts like the National Green Tribunal. The examination indicates that ineffective enforcement systems, disjointed governance, and insufficient transparency, as well as compliance-based corporate conduct, have a major influence on undermining the efficacy of current legal frameworks. This paper suggests that effective corporate responsibility needs an increased regulatory control, improved reporting on the environment, clarity in the doctrine of corporate responsibility, and alignment of domestic adoption with international sustainability requirements. Keywords: Corporate Accountability, Environmental Degradation, Sustainable Development, Environmental Law, India.