Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai on Wednesday said bulldozers should not be used indiscriminately to fell trees in forest areas in the name of “sustainable development”.

A bench of CJI Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a suo motu case over the large-scale felling of trees in Telangana’s Kancha Gachibowli area.

“That is not the right approach, although I am myself an advocate for sustainable development, but that doesn’t mean that overnight you (state) should employ 30 bulldozers and clear the forests,” the CJI told the counsel appearing for the
state government.

The state’s counsel informed the bench that the state government had stopped the felling of trees in keeping with the Supreme Court’s earlier directive.

The bench adjourned the matter for further hearing to August 13.

On May 15, the apex court had threatened to send the Telangana chief secretary and other officials to jail for lopping off trees in a forest area at Kancha Gachibowli on the outskirts of Hyderabad. It had also directed the state government to restore the forest cover, failing which contempt proceedings would be initiated against it.

The earlier bench, headed by CJI Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih, had said “prima facie” the entire exercise of bulldozing over 1,000 trees between May 10 and 13 was “pre-planned” to take advantage of the extended weekend.

Courts were closed on Monday (May 13) on account of Buddha Purnima. The reported cutting of trees took place in contravention of a directive by the top court on April 3.

“How did you make arrangements in such a short time? There were a dozen bulldozers. Prima facie, it appears everything was pre-planned,” the CJI had told senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the state government.

“We have seen the photographs. Have you seen the photographs?” CJI Gavai asked, rejecting Singhvi’s argument that the area in question was non-forest land and the felling of trees was carried out by the state for a “bona fide” purpose.

“If your intentions were bona fide, why did you start felling the trees at the beginning of a long weekend when courts were closed?” the bench had asked.

Senior advocate and amicus curiae K. Parmeshwar had earlier informed the bench that the exercise was carried out in haste and the trees felled included those in areas considered to be dense and moderate forest land. He had referred to the report submitted by the Forest Survey of India and the central empowered committee’s findings to buttress his claims.

The top court had on April 3 taken suo motu cognisance of the alleged chopping of 1,500 trees across 400 acres of forest land by Telangana officials to set up an IT park.