New Delhi | The Supreme Court on Friday stayed an order of the National Green Tribunal directing criminal prosecution and punitive action against Uttarakhand government officials for failure to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage into the Ganga.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar issued notice to the Centre and posted the matter for hearing in the second week of December.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on February 9 had deprecated the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board for remaining a "silent spectator" and not taking proper action to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage into the Ganga.

In a 151-page order, the tribunal had directed the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board (UKPCB) to take punitive action against responsible government officers and heads of departments by initiating criminal proceedings against them.

"The UKPCB shall also recover Environmental Compensation (EC) for the past violation and will compute and impose environmental compensation for future violations It shall submit a compliance report within two months," it had said.