SC no to further tree felling in Delhi Ridge, demands proof of compliance

The Supreme Court on Monday, 5 January seemed to signal a firm line on environmental safeguards, making it clear that no additional trees will be felled in the Delhi Ridge unless it is first convinced that its earlier orders on afforestation and ecological restoration have been properly implemented.

The Delhi Ridge is the northernmost extension of the ancient Aravalli range, and functions as one of the capital’s most critical ecological buffers. Spread across north, central, south and south-west Delhi, it acts as a natural green lung for the city, helps regulate groundwater recharge, moderates urban temperatures and provides a rare wildlife habitat in an otherwise densely built-up metropolis.

Over decades, large parts of the Ridge have come under pressure from encroachments, infrastructure projects and deforestation, prompting repeated judicial intervention to safeguard what remains.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, was hearing a plea by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) seeking permission to cut down 473 trees for a road-widening project intended to provide access to the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS).

CAPFIMS, located in Maidangarhi in south Delhi, is a major healthcare and training facility meant to cater to personnel and families of Central forces such as the BSF, CRPF and CISF. The proposed project also involves the translocation of 2,519 saplings and the diversion of 2.97 hectares of forest land.

During the hearing, the CJI made an oral observation that the court would not grant any further permission for tree felling unless it was fully satisfied that its directions issued on 28 May 2025 had been complied with in both letter and spirit.

In that earlier order, the bench had directed that every notification or approval relating to afforestation, road construction, tree cutting or any activity with potential ecological consequences must clearly disclose that the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. It had also laid down detailed conditions governing compensatory afforestation.

“We will not allow anything to happen unless we ourselves are satisfied with the compliance,” the CJI said. “Where is the compliance? What happened to 1.65 lakh trees and 18 pockets?” he asked, referring to commitments previously placed before the court.

Appearing for the DDA, solicitor-general Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Maninder Singh told the bench that progress had been made. Singh said 185 acres of land had been identified for afforestation and that possession had already been handed over. Boundary walls around the land were under construction and were expected to be completed by 28 February, he added.

Another counsel for the DDA informed the court that tenders had been floated for plantation work across 18 separate sites within the identified land parcel.

Seeking more time, the solicitor-general requested an adjournment until Friday to place a detailed status report on record after obtaining further instructions. The bench, however, stressed that a broad assurance would not suffice. “We need a complete report — site-wise — on what steps have been taken so far across all 18 locations, and what exactly you propose to do next,” the CJI said.

Mehta also submitted that the relocation of saplings was necessary for the road project to proceed, noting that CAPFIMS currently has only its outpatient department operational, with other facilities yet to become functional.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, however, pointed out that the saplings now sought to be transplanted had originally been planted to compensate for trees earlier felled by the DDA without the court’s permission.

In a lighter but pointed remark, the CJI observed that the saplings appeared to have been planted “out of fear of contempt”, cautioning against hurried or cosmetic compliance. “We do not want these 18 pockets to become AI-generated forests,” he said, underscoring the need for genuine, verifiable ecological restoration rather than paperwork-driven solutions.

The bench said it would scrutinise the status of compliance in detail before taking up the DDA’s request for any further clearances. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on 19 January.

With PTI inputs