'LG must act before ... ': SC pulls up DAA over felling of trees in Delhi's Ridge area

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Delhi's lieutenant governor VK Saxena , who is also the Delhi Development Authority (DAA) chairperson, to file an affidavit with regard to disciplinary and criminal action taken against those responsible for felling nearly 1100 trees in Delhi's Ridge area .

A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was hearing a contempt case against the DDA and others over the alleged felling of trees in the Ridge area.

The trees were cut for road widening purposes purpose.

The bench directed Delhi's lieutenant governor to explain if there was any information on discussions regarding the permission to cut trees.

"Secondly, when was LG informed that permission is needed. Thirdly, the steps taken as remedial measures, and fourthly, what action was taken against the erring officers since the (SC) order was there to preserve pristine nature of the Ridge," the CJI was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Saxena's counsel Mahesh Jethmalani said the lieutenant governor had visited the site on February 3 to expedite the road widening process for better access to a hospital to treat wounded personnel of central paramilitary forces.

The bench, however, said: "LG must act before we act".

Even in July, the top court had reprimanded the DDA for the unauthorised felling of 1,100 trees despite the ban on chopping down of trees imposed by Delhi high court in Aug 2023.

Expressing anguish over continuous cover-up by authorities over the role of the lieutenant governor in tree felling in the Ridge area, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to inform it whether the order to cut trees was passed on the basis of LG's oral permission or the agency independently took the decision.

Observing that there was a complete non-application of mind by Delhi LG in granting permission for felling of trees, a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan had said it should have been informed on the first day of the hearing itself that the LG already had issued directions for tree felling.