Krishnendu Mukherjee and Harj Narulla instructed by Indian and Bangladeshi communities in the World Heritage-listed Sundarbans region in OECD complaint against Barclays PLC
Krishnendu Mukherjee and Harj Narulla have been instructed by Indian and Bangladeshi farmers, fishworkers and environmental activists in the Sundarbans region in a transnational OECD complaint against Barclays PLC for providing financial services to the coal-powered Rampal Power Station, on the India-Bangladesh border.
The complaint argues that Barclays PLC has breached its human rights, environmental and due diligence duties under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct by providing financial services to the National Thermal Power Corporation of India (“NTPC”) and the Export Import Bank of India (“EXIM Bank”).
The Rampal Power Station is one of the largest power stations in Bangladesh and is located in close proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage listed Sundarbans region. The Sundarbans region is home to the world’s largest mangrove forest and endangered species such as the Bengal tiger. The project faced difficulties accessing funding due to its sensitive location, scale, and protected environmental and human rights impacts. Major French banks BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, and Société Générale refused to the fund the project, placing Barclays PLC out of step with its own climate commitments and industry practice.
Since the power station has become operational, it has increased greenhouse gas emissions and led to arsenic and mercury pollution of the ecologically important Pasur River, which has affected the complainants in the case and the surrounding environment.
The complaint is notable as part of a growing trend of litigation and business and human rights challenges to banks and financiers for supporting fossil fuel projects. In June 2026 Harj filed a complaint against HSBC for providing finance to the Cerrejón mine in Colombia, one of the largest open-cut coal mines in the world.
Krishnendu Mukherjee and Harj Narulla were instructed by the King’s College London Legal Clinic, led by Sue Willman KC (Hon) and were pleased to work with legal students in the United Kingdom and India during the development of the complaint.
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