Jabalpur: In a strong and unprecedented remark, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has declared that destroying the State’s green cover in the name of development is nothing short of devastation. The division bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf sharply criticised government officials for allowing the felling of decades-old trees without proper permissions.
The Court clearly directed that not a single tree in Madhya Pradesh may be cut without approval from the nine-member committee constituted under the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The bench also ordered the government to submit detailed records on how many trees were cut, how many were transplanted, and how many new trees are being planted in compensation.
Government Admits Mistakes in Court
During the hearing, the State government accepted its mistake of allowing the cutting and transplantation of trees without mandatory approval. The government informed the bench that appointments of Tree Officers under the Forest Conservation Act would soon be made.
Officials also stated that out of 244 trees identified in Bhopal, only 112 had been “relocated.”
The judges rejected this claim after seeing photographs of the so-called transplantation.
They observed that such trees do not survive, and demanded the names of officials who granted the illegal permissions.
Authority to Permit Cutting Cannot Be Delegated
Petitioners argued that as per NGT guidelines, only gazetted forest officers or municipal commissioners may authorise the cutting of more than 25 trees.
However, these officers had illegally passed this authority to their junior staff — a clear violation of rules.
The Court firmly stated that judicial and statutory powers cannot be delegated.
Court Took Suo Motu Cognizance After Media Report
The case originated after a newspaper report revealed that 488 trees were cut for the Bhojpur–Berasia road widening project near Bhopal, allegedly without any permissions.
The High Court treated the report as a public interest litigation (PIL) and initiated action.
According to rules, the State government must seek approval from the NGT-mandated committee before cutting trees for any development project. But in this case, the committee was completely bypassed.
The government later claimed that the District Collector had allowed the relocation of 448 trees and that 10 times more trees would be planted as compensation.
It also said that 253 trees were transplanted.
Fresh Allegations: 244 Trees Targeted for Real-Estate Project
Another intervention petition alleged that 244 trees in Bhopal were marked for removal to build a residential complex.
A new tactic was being used — calling it “transplantation” instead of “cutting,” to avoid permissions.
Officials reportedly said that obtaining felling permission was difficult, therefore they proposed transplantation, which they claimed doesn’t require permission.
No Tree Plantation Policy in the State
The Court expressed concern that the State government admitted it has no formal tree-plantation policy.
Photos submitted in court showed that during transplantation, all branches and leaves were chopped off, leaving behind only bare trunks — making survival impossible.
A letter dated 30 October 2025 from PWD’s Executive Engineer to the Principal Secretary of the Legislative Secretariat revealed that large quantities of wood and branches were being collected during the residential complex’s construction — indicating clear attempts to cut trees rather than save them.
The Court also took note of allegations that 8,000 trees were cut illegally for a Railway project and that trees were felled without approval for expansion of the Collector’s office in Sagar.
Officials Summoned; Next Hearing on December 17
The bench combined all related petitions from Bhopal, Sagar, and other regions and recorded its strong observations.
The Court summoned several senior officials, including:
- Executive Engineer, PWD
- Under Secretary, Legislative Secretariat
- Administrative Officer-cum-Under Secretary, Legislative Secretariat
- Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Bhopal
- Principal Chief Conservator of Forests
- Principal Secretary, Legislative Secretariat
- DRM, Bhopal (in place of the General Manager, West Central Railway)
The matter will now be heard again on 17 December.
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