SC mulls panel to vet nod for felling trees in Delhi

The bench was hearing an application seeking to restrain the Delhi government from allowing felling of trees without the apex court's permission.

By: PTI

New Delhi | November 23, 2024 03:19 AM IST

2 min read

Supreme Court (File)

The Supreme Court Friday proposed to set up a committee of experts and said it would direct that the permission granted for felling of trees in Delhi would not be implemented without the panel’s nod.

Referring to the depleting tree cover in the national capital, the apex court observed the committee of experts would look into the permission granted by the tree authority and the tree officers appointed under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994.

“We are going to pass an order that permission granted for felling of trees will not be acted upon unless the committee vets it. It will be subject to the suggestions made by the committee,” a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said, adding that the court would also lay down a related criteria.

The bench was hearing an application seeking to restrain the Delhi government from allowing felling of trees without the apex court’s permission.

“We want to know how the tree authority is functioning,” the bench said at the outset. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the tree authority, informed an affidavit was filed in the matter.

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