This paper examines the effectiveness of environmental regulations in India, using comprehensive data on air and water pollution, environmental regulations, and infant mortality. The study finds that air pollution regulations were effective in reducing particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide concentrations. The most successful air pollution regulation, the Supreme Court Action Plans, is associated with a modest and statistically insignificant decline in infant mortality. However, water pollution regulations, such as the National River Conservation Plan, had no observable effect. These findings contradict the conventional wisdom that environmental quality is a deterministic function of income and highlight the role of institutions and politics in environmental regulation. The paper also discusses the broader implications for developing countries and the potential success of bottom-up environmental policies compared to those initiated by political institutions.This paper examines the effectiveness of environmental regulations in India, using comprehensive data on air and water pollution, environmental regulations, and infant mortality. The study finds that air pollution regulations were effective in reducing particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide concentrations. The most successful air pollution regulation, the Supreme Court Action Plans, is associated with a modest and statistically insignificant decline in infant mortality. However, water pollution regulations, such as the National River Conservation Plan, had no observable effect. These findings contradict the conventional wisdom that environmental quality is a deterministic function of income and highlight the role of institutions and politics in environmental regulation. The paper also discusses the broader implications for developing countries and the potential success of bottom-up environmental policies compared to those initiated by political institutions.