SC gives LG till next week to act on Ridge tree-felling

The order was passed by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud while considering a contempt petition against the DDA vice chairman. The case concerns DDA clearing trees in the ridge near Satbari in February for a road construction project, and failing to disclose this to the court, which dismissed DDA’s application seeking permission for the felling of trees (that had already been cut) on March 4.

Without issuing notice to the LG, the bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, asked Saxena to file a personal affidavit in his capacity as DDA chairman answering certain critical questions in the chain of facts which has remained ambiguous.

These relate to a site visit he made on February 3, following which the tree-cutting began on or around February 16 and continued till February 26. The bench asked the LG to clarify whether he discussed anything about the permission to be obtained for the felling of the trees, and whether he was at all aware that such permission was needed.