Supreme Court Probes Delhi Ridge Tree Felling Controversy

The Supreme Court has questioned Delhi officials, including the LG and DDA leaders, regarding when they were informed about the unauthorized tree felling in the Delhi Ridge area. A discrepancy on notification dates has led the court to request further affidavits and official records to clarify the timeline.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court demanded a detailed affidavit from key Delhi officials, namely the Chairperson of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, concerning the unauthorized tree felling in the Delhi Ridge forest area.

The court's demand followed an anomaly in records where DDA's former Vice-Chairman had reported the tree felling incident to LG Saxena in April, yet Saxena's affidavit indicated he was only informed of the need for court permission in March and later about the actual felling in June.

Highlighting the conflicting reports, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud ordered an additional affidavit to resolve the inconsistencies. The case, anchored on a contempt petition, underscores the felling of approximately 1100 trees, with the apex court demanding all original documents to ascertain the factual timeline.

(With inputs from agencies.)