'Felling trees worse than killing a human being': Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of India ruled that mass tree felling is a more serious offense than taking a human life, emphasizing strict action against environmental violations.
FollowNew Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared that cutting a large number of trees was a graver offense than taking a human life, emphasizing that no leniency should be granted to those who harm the environment. To deter environmental violations, the court approved a penalty of Rs 1 lakh per illegally felled tree.
A bench comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan delivered this ruling while rejecting the plea of an individual who had fallen 454 trees in the protected Taj Trapezium Zone without authorization. The court stressed that those engaged in unauthorized tree-cutting must face strict legal consequences.
The decision also set a clear precedent for penalties in illegal tree-felling cases. The bench accepted the recommendation of senior advocate A.D.N. Rao, acting as amicus curiae, who argued that a strong message must be conveyed to violators, ensuring that both the law and the environment are not taken lightly.
“This brazen act of cutting 454 trees is like killing a large number of human beings, or worse than that,” Justice Oka said.
“No mercy in an environmental case. Felling a large number of trees is worse than killing a human. It will take at least 100 years minimum to again regenerate or recreate the green cover created by 454 trees which were blatantly cut without permission of this court though the embargo imposed by this court is right from the year 2015,” the bench said.
The Supreme Court upheld the recommendation of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to impose a ₹1 lakh fine per tree on Shiv Shankar Agarwal, who had illegally cut down 454 trees last year.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Agarwal, informed the bench that his client had acknowledged the mistake, expressed remorse, and requested a reduction in the penalty, arguing that the fine was excessively high. He further appealed for permission to carry out replantation at an alternative location instead of the original plot.
While the court refused to lower the fine, it granted permission for tree plantation in nearby areas, ensuring environmental restoration while maintaining the strict penalty as a deterrent.
454 trees were illegally cut in 2024: CEC
According to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) report, a total of 454 trees were illegally cut on the night of September 18 last year. Of these, 422 trees were located on private land known as Dalmia Farm on Vrindavan Chatikara Road, while the remaining 32 trees were felled on a roadside strip adjacent to the private land, which was classified as a protected forest.
Noting the blatant violation of its orders, the Supreme Court expressed concern over the shocking state of affairs revealed in the report. The bench initiated contempt proceedings against Shiv Shankar Agarwal and directed the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to recommend further actions against him.
The CEC panel proposed that the forest department recover the penalty under the Uttar Pradesh Protection of Trees Act, 1976, for the illegal tree felling. Additionally, it suggested punitive action against the landowner under the Indian Forest Act, 1972, for cutting down 32 trees in a protected forest.
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