GUGATAN WARGA NEGARA (CITIZEN LAWSUIT) TERHADAP PEMERINTAH ATAS PENCEMARAN LINGKUNGAN

Abstract

The continuing increase in environmental pollution indicates that the government's responsibility to guarantee a good and healthy environment for the public is not yet optimal. This situation has encouraged the development of the Citizen Lawsuit as a legal instrument that the public can use to hold the government accountable for negligence in fulfilling public rights. This study aims to analyze the legal standing of the Citizen Lawsuit within the Indonesian legal system and examine the forms of government accountability for environmental pollution through this mechanism. This study uses a normative legal research method with a statutory regulatory approach, a conceptual approach, and a case approach. Legal materials were collected through a literature review analyzed qualitatively using deductive methods. The results indicate that the Citizen Lawsuit holds an important position as an instrument for protecting the public interest, even though it is not yet explicitly regulated in the Indonesian legal system. The government can also be held accountable for injustices in environmental protection. However, its implementation still faces obstacles such as unclear regulations, complex evidence, and court enforcement.