No permission needed to prune trees? Delhi HC stops govt move
The High Court called out authorities for trying to bypass a 2023 ruling
In 2023, the Delhi HC had set aside these guidelines and held that “no pruning of trees will be permitted in Delhi except in accordance with the DPT Act”. (File Photo) The Delhi High Court on May 6 stayed a Delhi government notification that had quietly revived an exemption for pruning trees without prior permission — an exemption the court had already struck down in 2023.
Justice Jasmeet Singh noted that the fresh May 2025 notification “is in teeth” of the Delhi HC’s 2023 judgment, “which has attained finality and is binding” on the authorities.
“By virtue of the said notification, the respondent is undoing the judgment dated 29.05.2023 which to my mind cannot be so done,” Justice Singh recorded, while staying the notification.
The Delhi Preservation of Trees (DPT) Act, 1994, provides statutory protection to trees in Delhi. Under Section 9 of the Act, any person who wants to cut or remove or dispose of a tree has to seek permission from the Tree Officer concerned.
In 2019, the Delhi government had issued guidelines on pruning trees, which permitted regular pruning of branches of trees with girth up to 15.7 cm, without specific prior permission of the Tree Officer.
In 2023, the Delhi HC had set aside these guidelines and held that “no pruning of trees will be permitted in Delhi except in accordance with the DPT Act”.
However in May 2025, the Delhi government issued a notification, which brought back the 2019 exemption for pruning.
The notification stated that no permission will be required from the Tree Officer for “general tending and light pruning, where branches to be pruned are having girth less than 15.7cm”.
It also permitted agencies to prune trees without the Tree Officer’s permission in public spaces like roads, footpaths, streets, parks that fall under the civic bodies, PWD, DDA, CPWD, ASI, Delhi Cantt etc or in building/premises of any government agency and is posing danger to life, property or traffic.
The court will hear the matter next on July 20.
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