Supreme Court - Daily Orders
In Re : T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union Of India on 16 March, 2026
ITEM NO.54 COURT NO.1 SECTION PIL-W
S U P R E M E C O U R T O F I N D I A
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Writ Petition(s)(Civil) No(s). 202/1995
IN RE : T.N. GODAVARMAN THIRUMULPAD Petitioner(s)
VERSUS
UNION OF INDIA & ORS. Respondent(s)
... INTERLOCUTORY APPLICATION FOR 16.03.2026 “ONLY” [ 1 ] I.A. NO.
50108 OF 2026 [Application seeking permission to file Impleadment
on behalf of “Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development
Corporation Ltd. (DTTDC)”, Applicant filed by Ms. Anisha Upadhyay,
Adv.] WITH I.A. NOS. 38152 & 38162 OF 2026 [Applications for
Impleadment as a party Respondent and Clarification/Limited
Modification on behalf of “Delhi Tourism and Transportation
Development Corporation Ltd. (DTTDC)”, Applicant filed by Ms.
Anisha Upadhyay, Adv.] IN I. A. NOS. 149950 AND 149951 OF 2024
(Disposed of on 17.02.2025) [Applications for Impleadment and
Directions] WITH I.A. NO. 255587/2024 (CEC Report No. 27/2024 in
I.A. Nos. 149950 & 149951/2024) IN RE : DELHI TOURISM AND
TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LTD. (DTTDC) AND [ 2 ] I. A.
NOS. 185063 & 185065 OF 2025 [Applications for Directions & O.T.
filed by Ms. Shibani Ghosh, Advocate] WITH I. A. NO. 185066 OF 2025
[Application for Intervention filed by Ms. Shibani Ghosh, Advocate]
WITH I. A. NO. 233149 OF 2025 [Application for permission to place
on record Additional facts and documents in I.A. No. 185063/2025
filed by Ms. Shibani Ghosh, Advocate] WITH I. A. NO. 275143 OF 2025
[Application for Directions in I.A. No. 185063/2025 filed by Ms.
Shibani Ghosh, Advocate] IN RE: DEBADITYO SINHA AND [ 3 ] IN RE:
CHANDAKA ECO-SENSITIVE ZONE, ODISHA I.A. NO. 108587 OF 2024
[Application for Impleadment on behalf of ‘Kanak Foundation’ filed
by Mr. Sudarsh Menon, Advocate] WITH I.A. NO. 108243 OF 2024
[Application for Directions on behalf of ‘Kanak Foundation’filed by
Mr. Sudarsh Menon, Advocate] IN RE : KANAK FOUNDATION AND [ 4 ] IN
RE : SUKHNA LAKE I.A. NOS. 99457 AND 99462 OF 2024 [Applications
for Intervention and Clarifications filed by Ms. Shalini Kaul,
Advocate] IN RE : SUMITRA NEGI & ORS. WITH I.A. NO. 211469 OF 2024
[Applications for Intervention filed by Mr. Tarun Gupta, Advocate
in I.A. 99457/2024] WITH I.A. NO. 303990 OF 2025 [Applications for
Directions filed by Mr. Tarun Gupta, Advocate in I.A. 99457/2024]
WITH I.A. NO. 256515 OF 2024 [Applications for permission to place
Additional documents on record filed by Mr. Tarun Gupta, Advocate
in I.A. 211469/2024] IN RE : LIEUTENANT GENERAL SARVJIT SINGH
CHAHAL (RETD.) & ORS. AND [4(a)] I.A. NO. 263809 OF 2023
Signature Not Verified
[Application for Intervention] WITH I.A. NOS. 263810, 263811 AND
Digitally signed by
ARJUN BISHT
Date: 2026.03.20
263812 OF 2023 [Applications seeking permission to file application
17:30:08 IST
Reason:
for Directions, Directions and Exemption from filing O.T.] AND I.A.
NO. 92980 OF 2024 [Applications for placing on record Additional
1
Documents in I.A. No. 263809/2023 filed by Dr. Surender Singh
Hooda, Advocate for the Applicant] AND I.A. NO. 141598 OF 2024
[Applications for placing on record Additional Documents in I.A.
No. 263809/2023 filed by Mr. Dinesh C. Pandey, Advocate for the
Applicant No. 2] AND I.A. NO. 241402 OF 2025 (Application for
issuance of necessary directions to comply with the order dated
19.03.2025 as well as order dated 16.04.2025 passed in SLP(C)No.
26642 of 2024) IN RE : ANUJ KAUSHAL & ANR. IN RE : SUKHNA LAKE AND
[ 5 ] I.A. NO. 285881 OF 2024 (Application for Impleadment as Co-
petitioners filed by Mr. Arun K. Sinha, Advocate) WITH I.A. NOS.
285829 & 285830 OF 2024 (Applications for Directions and Exemption
from filing O.T. filed by Mr. Arun K. Sinha, Advocate) AND I.A. NO.
300603 OF 2024 (Application seeking Impleadment of the owner of the
Land as Party Respondent filed by Mr. Arun K. Sinha, Advocate) IN
RE : UDIT NARAYAN SONAKIYA & ANR. AND [ 6 ] I. A. NO. 88067 OF 2025
[Application for Clarification of order dated 24.10.2025 filed by
Ms. Sugandha Anand, Advocate] IN RE : THE STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
WITH I. A. NO. 120608 OF 2025 [Application seeking permission to
filed application for Clarification & Modification of order dated
24.10.2025 filed by Mr. Ajit Sharma, Advocate] WITH I. A. NOS.
110655 & 110660 OF 2025 [Applications for Clarification &
Modification of order dated 24.10.2025 and Exemption from filing
O.T. filed by Mr. Ajit Sharma, Advocate] WITH I. A. NO. 232603 OF
2025 [Application for seeking permission to file an application to
bring additional documents on record filed by Mr. Ajit Sharma,
Advocate] IN RE : M/S. GOLDSTONE CRUSHING COMPANY IN I. A. NOS.
157777 AND 157782 OF 2023 (Disposed of vide orde dated 24.10.2024)
[Applications For Impleadment And Directions] IN RE : PRADEEP IN RE
: MINING WITHIN 10 KMS WETLAND AND [ 7 ] I. A. NOS. 138323 & 138324
OF 2025 [Applications for Intervention & Directions on behalf of
‘K.B. Belliappa & Ors.’ filed by Ms. Shibani Ghosh, Advocate] WITH
I.A. NO. 6948 OF 2026 (CEC REPORT NO. 01/2026 IN I.A. NO.
138323/2025) IN RE : K.B. BELLIAPPA & ORS. AND [ 8 ] I.A. NOS.
152735, 152736 & 152737 OF 2025 [Applications for Intervention,
Directions and Grant of Interim relief filed by Mr. Agam Sharma,
Advocate] IN RE : M/S. SHIVA GANGA STONE CRUSHING INDUSTRIES AND
[ 8 (a) ] I.A. NOS. 152741, 152742 & 152743 OF 2025 [Applications
for Intervention, Directions and Grant of Interim relief filed by
Mr. Agam Sharma, Advocate] IN RE : M/S. JANDIPEER ENTERPRISES
HIREWADATTI AND [ 8 (b) ] I.A. NOS. 152803, 152804 & 152805 OF 2025
[Applications for Intervention, Directions and Grant of Interim
relief filed by Mr. Agam Sharma, Advocate] IN RE : SRI ADISHAKTI
STONE CRUSHER AND [ 8 (c) ] I.A. NOS. 152806, 152807 & 152808 OF
2025 [Applications for Intervention, Directions and Grant of
Interim relief filed by Mr. Agam Sharma, Advocate] IN RE : M/S. SRI
VENKATESHWAR INDUSTRIES AND [ 8 (d) ] I.A. NOS. 152871, 152872 &
152874 OF 2025 [Applications for Intervention, Directions and Grant
of Interim relief filed by Mr. Agam Sharma, Advocate] IN RE : SHRI
GAGANDEEP STONE CRUSHER INDUSTRIES AND [ 8 (e) ] I.A. NOS. 152877,
152878 & 152879 OF 2025 [Applications for Intervention, Directions
and Grant of Interim relief filed by Mr. Agam Sharma, Advocate] IN
RE : M/S. SHRI DEVI STONE CRUSHER INDUSTRIES AND [ 8 (f) ] I.A.
NOS. 152881, 152882 & 152884 OF 2025 [Applications for
2
Intervention, Directions and Grant of Interim relief filed by Mr.
Agam Sharma, Advocate] IN RE : M/S. S.R. BALLARY & CO. AND [ 8
(g) ] I.A. NOS. 152984, 152985 & 152986 OF 2025 [Applications for
Intervention, Directions and Grant of Interim relief filed by Mr.
Agam Sharma, Advocate] IN RE : MALATESH STONE CRUSHER AND [ 9 ] I.
A. NOS. 159124 & 159125 OF 2025 [Applications for Directions &
Exemption from filing O.T. on behalf of ‘Stone Crusher Owners
Association’ filed by Mr. Ajit Sharma, Advocate] IN RE : STONE
CRUSHER OWNERS ASSOCIATION AND [ 10 ] I. A. NO. 319562 OF 2025
[Application seeking permission for felling of trees on behalf of
“The Divisional Engineer, Highways and Minor Posts Department”,
Applicant filed by Ms. Purnima Krishna, Adv.] IN RE : THE
DIVISIONAL ENGINEER, HIGHWAYS AND MINOR POSTS DEPARTMENT AND [ 11 ]
I. A. NO. 53602 OF 2026 [Application seeking permission for felling
of trees on behalf of “The Divisional Engineer, Highways and Minor
Posts Department”, Applicant filed by Ms. Purnima Krishna, Adv.] IN
RE : THE DIVISIONAL ENGINEER, HIGHWAYS AND MINOR POSTS DEPARTMENT
AND [ 12 ] I. A. NOS. 54738 & 54739 OF 2026 [Applications for
Directions and Exemption from filing O.T. on behalf of “The Chief
Secretary, State of Tamil Nadu”, Applicant filed by Ms. Purnima
Krishna, Adv.] IN RE : THE CHIEF SECRETARY, STATE OF TAMIL NADU AND
[ 13 ] I. A. NO. 52123 OF 2026 [Application seeking permission for
cutting of trees on behalf of “The Executive Engineer, Transmission
Line Construction, General Construction Cirlcle II, TANTRANSCO,
Alandur”, Applicant filed by Ms. Purnima Krishna, Adv.] IN RE :THE
EXECUTIVE ENGINEER, TRANSMISSION LINE CONSTRUCTION, GENERAL
CONSTRUCTION CIRLCLE II, TANTRANSCO, ALANDUR IN WRIT PETITION
(CIVIL) NO. 202 OF 1995 (Under Article 32 of the Constitution of
India) “ONLY” ARE LISTED IN W.P.(C) No. 202 OF 1995 “ONLY” ON
16.03.2026 AND THE NAMES OF “ONLY” THE FOLLOWING ADVOCATES MAY BE
TREATED TO HAVE BEEN SHOWN AGAINST THESE I.As. MR. HARISH N. SALVE,
SR. ADV. [A.C.], MR. A.D.N. RAO, SR. ADVOCATE [A.C.], MS. APARAJITA
SINGH, SR. ADVOCATE [A.C.], MR. SIDDHARTHA CHOWDHURY, ADVOCATE
[A.C.] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR, SR. ADVOCATE [A.C.] MR. G.S. MAKKER,
ADVOCATE MR. S.N. TERDAL, ADVOCATE DR. N. VISAKAMURTHY, ADVOCATE
FOR S. NO. [ 1 ] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR, SR. ADVOCATE (A.C.), MR. TARUN
JOHRI, MS. ANISHA UPADHYAY FOR S. NO. [ 2 ] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR, SR.
ADVOCATE (A.C.), MS. SHIBANI GHOSH, M/S. TRUST LEGAL, MR. G.S.
MAKKER FOR S. NO. [ 3 ] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR, SR. ADVOCATE (A.C.),
MR. SUDARSH MENON, MR. G.S. MAKKER (MOEF&CC), MS. SANJANA SADDY
(FOR R-2/STATE OF ODISHA) FOR S. NO. [ 4 ] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR
(A.C.), MS. SHALINI KAUL, MR. TARUN GUPTA (INTERVENOR) FOR S. NO. [
4 (a)] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR (A.C.), DR. SURENDER SINGH HOODA (FOR
INTERVENOR NO. 1), MR. DINESH C. PANDEY (FOR INTEVENOR NO. 2), MR.
KARAN SHARMA (STATE OF PUNJAB) FOR S.NO. [ 5 ] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR
(A.C.), MR. ARUN K. SINHA, MR. ASHUTOSH KUMAR SHARMA (STATE OF
UTTARAKHAND), MR. P.S. SUDHEER FOR S.NO. [ 6 ] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR
(A.C.), MS. SUGANDHA ANAND (STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH), MR. AJIT
SHARMA, MR. MUKESH KUMAR (INTERVENOR) FOR S.NO. [ 7 ] MR. K.
PARAMESHWAR (A.C.), MS. SHIBANI GHOSH, MR. SANCHIT GARGA (FOR STATE
OF KARNATAKA), MR. D.L. CHIDANANDA (FOR STATE OF KARNATAKA) FOR
S.NO. [ 8, 8 (a) to 8 (g) ] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR (A.C.), MR. AGAM
SHARMA FOR S.NO. [ 9 ] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR (A.C.), MR. AJIT SHARMA,
3
MR. SUDEEP KUMAR (RESPONDENT NO. 1/STATE OF U.P.) FOR S.NOS. [ 10
to 13 ] MR. K. PARAMESHWAR (A.C.), MS. PURNIMA KRISHNA (STATE OF
TAMIL NADU)
Date : 16-03-2026 This petition was called on for hearing today.
CORAM : HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JOYMALYA BAGCHI
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VIPUL M. PANCHOLI
Mr. K. Parameshwar, Sr. Adv. (A.C.)
Mr. Kanti, Adv.
Mr. Shreenivas Patil, Adv.
Ms. Veela, Adv.
Mr. Prasad, Adv.
For Petitioner(s): By Courts Motion, AOR
Mr. Pritam Singh, Adv.
Mr. Ram Narayan Mohanty, Adv.
Mr. Umesh Kumar Shukla, Adv.
Ms T. Geeth, Adv.
Mr. T. Harish Kumar, AOR
M/S. Mitter & Mitter Co., AOR
M/S. Lawyer S Knit & Co, AOR
Mr. Chanchal Kumar Ganguli, AOR
M/S. PLR Chambers And Co., AOR
Mr. Syed Mehdi Imam, AOR
For Respondent(s) :Ms. Shagun Thakur, Adv.
Mr. Sunit Choudhary, Adv.
Ms. Ritika Singhal, Adv.
Mr. Gurmeet Singh Makker, AOR
Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Adv.
Ms. Suhashini Sen, Adv.
Mr. Raghav Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Gaurang Bhushan, Adv.
Mr. Baij Nath Patel, Adv.
Mr. Rohan Gupta, Adv.
Mr. Raj Kishor Choudhary, AOR
Mr. Atmaram N.S. Nadkarni, Sr. Adv.
Ms. Ritwika Nanda, Adv.
Ms. Himanshi Nagpal, Adv.
Ms. Manisha Gupta, Adv.
Mr. Shuvodeep Roy, AOR
Mr. Deepayan Dutta, Adv.
Mr. Saurabh Tripathi, Adv.
Mr. Gaichangpou Gangmei, AOR
4
Ms. Hemantika Wahi, AOR
Mr. Mohd. Irshad Hanif, AOR
Ms. Rifat Ara Butt, Adv.
Mr. Virender Maurya, Adv.
Mr. Punit Dutt Tyagi, AOR
Mr. Rathin Das, AOR
Mr. Ratan Kumar Choudhuri, AOR
Mr. Sudhir Kulshreshtha, AOR
Mr. Rajesh Singh, AOR
Mr. Hitesh Kumar Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Satvik Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Amit Kumar Chawla, Adv.
Mr. Akhileshwar Jha, Adv.
Mr. Mahi Pal Singh, Adv.
Ms. Shreya Jha, Adv.
Ms. Niharika Dwivedi, Adv.
Ms. Swati Vishan, Adv.
Ms. Charanjeet Sidhu, Adv.
Ms. Rashmi Prava Mohanty, Adv.
Ms. Ashmita Mishra, Adv.
Ms. Gurusharan Kaur, Adv.
Mr. Saurabh Kumar Solanki, Adv.
Mr. Shubham Rajhans, Adv.
Mr. Sandeep Singh Dingra, Adv.
Mr. Sanjiv Kumar Jain, Adv.
Mr. Dilip Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Desh Pal Singh, Adv.
Mr. Anupam Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Jogender Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Sandeep Kumar Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Honey Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Bhagat Ram, Adv.
Mr. Manoj Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, Adv.
Ms. Sushma Suri, AOR
Mr. Sudhir Kumar Gupta, AOR
Mr. A. N. Arora, AOR
Mr. Irshad Ahmad, AOR
Mr. G. Prakash, AOR
Mr. Himanshu Shekhar, AOR
Mr. Shiv Vinayak Gupta, Adv.
Ms. Anushka Rawal, Adv.
Ms. Himani Singh, Adv.
Mrs. Bina Gupta, AOR
Mr. P. V. Yogeswaran, AOR
Mr. Jitendra Mohan Sharma, AOR
5
Ms. Malini Poduval, AOR
Ms. C. K. Sucharita, AOR
Mr. E. M. S. Anam, AOR
Mr. Shibashish Misra, AOR
Mr. Pankaj Kumar Singh, Adv.
Mr. Pawan Kumar Shukla, Adv.
Mr. Md. Aman Yousuf, Adv.
Mr. K. L. Janjani, AOR
Mr. Naresh K. Sharma, AOR
Ms. A. Sumathi, AOR
Mr. Jai Prakash Pandey, AOR
Ms. Binu Tamta, AOR
Mr. K. V. Vijayakumar, AOR
Mrs. Rani Chhabra, AOR
Ms. Divya Roy, AOR
Mr. Tarun Johri, AOR
Mr. Radha Shyam Jena, AOR
Mrs. Anjani Aiyagari, AOR
Mr. Ashok Mathur, AOR
Ms. Shardha Zutshi, Adv.
M/S. Parekh & Co., AOR
Mr. Amarjit Singh Bedi, Adv.
Ms. Surekha Raman, Adv.
Mr. Shreyash Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Sidharth Nair, Adv.
M/s. K J John And Co, AOR
Mr. V. Balachandran, AOR
Mr. S. C. Birla, AOR
Mr. Ajit Pudussery, AOR
Mr. T. Mahipal, AOR
Mr. Umesh Bhagwat, AOR
Mrs. M. Qamaruddin, AOR
Mr. H. S. Parihar, AOR
Ms. Baby Krishnan, AOR
Mr. P. R. Ramasesh, AOR
Ms. Adviteeya, Adv.
Mr. Rakesh K. Sharma, AOR
Mr. P. N. Gupta, AOR
Mr. Sarad Kumar Singhania, AOR
Mr. E. C. Agrawala, AOR
Mr. Ajay Bansal, Adv.
Mr. Kuldip Singh, AOR
Mr. Gaurav Yadav, Adv.
6
Mrs. Veena Bansal, Adv.
Mr. Sourav Jindal, Adv.
Mr. Aditya Gupta, Adv.
Ms. Akansha Singh, Adv.
Mr. Iyshvakoo Radhu, Adv.
Ms. Bina Madhavan, AOR
Ms. Pratibha Jain, AOR
Mr. Rajat Joseph, AOR
Mr. Gopal Prasad, AOR
Ms. Jyoti Mendiratta, AOR
Mr. S.. Udaya Kumar Sagar, AOR
Mr. Ranjan Mukherjee, AOR
Ms. Sharmila Upadhyay, AOR
Mr. Tejaswi Kumar Pradhan, AOR
Mr. Pranab Samantaray, Adv.
Mr. Manoranjan Paikaray, Adv.
Mr. Pradeep Kar, Adv.
M/S. Arputham Aruna And Co, AOR
Mrs. Nandini Gore, AOR
Mr. Raj Kumar Mehta, AOR
Ms. Madhu Moolchandani, AOR
Mrs. B. Sunita Rao, AOR
Mr. Rajeev Singh, AOR
Mrs. Kanchan Kaur Dhodi, AOR
Mr. Surya Kant, AOR
Mr. E. C. Vidya Sagar, AOR
M/S. M. V. Kini & Associates, AOR
Mrs. Manik Karanjawala, AOR
Mr. Kamal Mohan Gupta, AOR
Mr. Prashant Kumar, AOR
Mr. Dharmendra Kumar Sinha, AOR
Mrs. Vandna Beri, Adv.
Mr. P. Parmeswaran, AOR
Ms. Sujata Kurdukar, AOR
Ms. Charu Mathur, AOR
Mr. Bhavanishankar V.gadnis, Adv.
Mrs. Santhanalakshmi, Adv.
Mr. A. Venayagam Balan, AOR
Mr. Vishwanath Gadnis, Adv.
Mr. Samarendra Beura, Adv.
Mr. Sudarsh Menon, AOR
Mr. Ramesh Babu M. R., AOR
Mr. Vikrant Singh Bais, AOR
Mr. Shiva Pujan Singh, AOR
7
Ms. K. V. Bharathi Upadhyaya, AOR
Ms. Pritama, Adv.
Dr. Sunita, Adv.
Ms. Shaivani Gupta, Adv.
Mr. Bipin Vinayak Chandan, Adv.
Mr. Sufyan Hasan, Adv.
Ms. Hema Malik, Adv.
Mr. Rajiv Mehta, AOR
Mr. Ejaz Maqbool, AOR
Mr. Rajesh, AOR
M/S. Corporate Law Group, AOR
Mr. Lakshmi Raman Singh, AOR
Mr. B V Deepak, AOR
Mr. T. N. Singh, AOR
Mr. C. L. Sahu, AOR
Mr. Rishabh Sahu, Adv.
Ms. Hema Sahu, Adv.
Mr. Rajendra Sahu, Adv.
Ms. Sumita Hazarika, AOR
Ms. Kalpana K Tripathy, Adv.
Mr. Prakhar Gupta, Adv.
Ms. Abha R. Sharma, AOR
Mr. Abhishek Chaudhary, AOR
Mrs. Rekha Pandey, AOR
Mr. Gopal Singh, AOR
Mr. T. V. George, AOR
Mr. Krishnanand Pandeya, AOR
Mr. Neeraj Shekhar, AOR
Ms. Asha Gopalan Nair, AOR
Mr. M. Yogesh Kanna, AOR
Ms. Sanjana Saddy , AOR
Mr. Vikash Singh, AOR
Mr. Vivek Sharma, AOR
Dr. Vijay Kumar Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Shubhranshu Padhi, AOR
Mr. Nishe Rajen Shonker, AOR
Mrs. Anu K Joy, Adv.
Mr. Alim Anvar, Adv.
Mr. Santhosh K, Adv.
Mrs. Devika A.l., Adv.
Mr. Nishit Agrawal, AOR
Mr. Krishna Ballabh Thakur, AOR
8
Ms. Aruna Gupta, AOR
Mr. Ramesh Allanki, Adv.
Mr. Kadamuri Laxma Reddy, Adv.
Ms. Suryakala Mummana, Adv.
Mr. Ramchander Goud Vangala, Adv.
Mr. Samir Ali Khan, AOR
Mr. Pranjal Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Sachin Jaysing Patil, Adv.
Mr. Geo Joseph, Adv.
Mr. Risvi Muhammed, Adv.
Ms. Vishnu Priya, Adv.
Mr. Sachin Patil, AOR
Mr. Nishant Awana, AOR
Mr. Salvador Santosh Rebello, AOR
Mr. Jaskirat Pal Singh, Adv.
Ms. Moulishree Pathak, Adv.
Mr. Ashok Kr. Choudhary, Adv.
Mr. Sunny Kadiyan, AOR
Mrs. Pragya Baghel, AOR
Ms. Deepanwita Priyanka, AOR
Mr. Satyalipsu Ray, Adv.
Mr. Shishir Kumar Jha, Adv.
Ms. Priyal Sheth, Adv.
Mr. Raghvendra Kumar, AOR
Mr. Sravan Kumar Karanam, AOR
Ms. M. Harshini, Adv.
Ms. G. Sushmita, Adv.
Ms. K. Enatoli Sema, AOR
Mr. Amit Kumar Singh, Adv.
Ms. Chubalemla Chang, Adv.
Mr. Prang Newmai, Adv.
Ms. Yanmi Phazang,, Adv.
Mr. Shishir Deshpande, AOR
Mr. Yusuf, AOR
Mr. Gurudas Kannur, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Cs Patil, Adv.
Mr. Agam Sharma, AOR
Ms. Archi Aggarwal, Adv.
Mr. Rajiv Shankar Dvivedi, AOR
Mr. Kumar Sameer, Adv.
9
Mr. S.k. Sarkar, Adv.
Ms. Arti Dvivedi, Adv.
Ms. Sugandha Bhardwaj, Adv.
Mr. Bhushan, Adv.
Ms. Priya, Adv.
Ms. Snigdha Singh, Adv.
Ms. Priyanka Paramar, Adv.
Ms. Sweta Singh, Adv.
Mr. Gopal Balwant Sathe, AOR
Mr. Sarvam Ritam Khare, AOR
Mr. Kushagra Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Akarsh Khare, Adv.
Mr. Shreekant Neelappa Terdal, AOR
Ms. Sunieta Ojha, AOR
Mr. Dinesh Chandra Pandey, AOR
Applicant-in-person
Mr. Anant Mann, AOR
Mr. Lakshmeesh S. Kamath, AOR
Mrs. Samriti Ahuja, Adv.
Ms. Aditi Prakash, Adv.
Ms. Eka Kumari Singh, Adv.
Mr. Vikas Kumar, AOR
Mr. Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi, AOR
Mr. Kaushik Choudhury, AOR
Mr. Aravindh S., AOR
Ms. Jyotika Sharma, Adv.
Mrs. Kirti Renu Mishra, AOR
Mr. Atul Sharma, AOR
Mr. Anirudh Sanganeria, AOR
Mr. Chinmay Deshpande, Adv.
Mr. Saurabh Rajpal, AOR
Mr. Himinder Lal, AOR
Ms. Shruti Jose, AOR
Mr. Durgesh Ramchandra Gupta, AOR
Ms. Rangoli Seth, AOR
Mr. Manish Raghav , AOR
Mr. Abhishek Atrey, AOR
Dr. Abhishek Atrey, Adv.
Ms. Ishita Bist, Adv.
Ms. Vidyottma Jha, Adv.
Mr. Jagdeep Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Brijesh Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Navneet Gupta, Adv.
10
Ms. Mrinal Gopal Elker, AOR
Mr. Chinmoy Chaitanya, Adv.
Mr. Dhaval Mehrotra, AOR
Mr. Ravindra Kumar, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Binay Kumar Das, AOR
Ms. Priyanka Das, Adv.
Ms. Neha Das, Adv.
Mr. Shivam Saksena, Adv.
Ms. Lakshmi N. Kaimal, AOR
Mr. Shrey Kapoor , AOR
Ms. Anne Mathew, AOR
Mr. Yash S. Vijay, AOR
Mr. Sarvan Shukla, Adv.
Mr. Adarsh Kumar Tiwari, AOR
Ms. Akanksha Raj Mishra, Adv.
Mr. Satyendra Kumar Chauhan, Adv.
M/S. Trust Legal, AOR
M/S. Vkc Law Offices, AOR
Mr. Naveen Kumar, AOR
Mr. V. N. Raghupathy, AOR
M/S. D.S.k. Legal, AOR
Mr. Sanjay Parikh, Sr. Adv.
Ms. Shibani Ghosh, AOR
Ms. Parul Gupta, Adv.
Ms. Kritika, Adv.
Mr. Chandra Bhushan Prasad, AOR
Mr. Shiv Mangal Sharma, A.A.G.
Mr. Saurabh Rajpal, Adv.
Ms. Arushi Rathore, Adv.
Ms. Nidhi Jaswal, AOR
Mr Rahul Jain, AOR
Mr. Romy Chacko, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Ashwin Romy, Adv.
Mr. Joe Sebastian, Adv.
Mr. Akshat Singh, Adv.
Mr. Rahul Jain, Aor, Adv.
Mr. Sabarish Subramanian, AOR
M/S. Karanjawala & Co., AOR
M/S. Khaitan & Co., AOR
Mr. Ashutosh Dubey, AOR
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Mr. Ashutosh Dubey, Adv.
Mrs. Rajshri Dubey, Adv.
Mr. Abhishek Chauhan, Adv.
Mr. Amit P Shahi, Adv.
Mr. Rahul Bhardwaj, Adv.
Mr. Anjan Datta, Adv.
Mr. Rahul Sethi, Adv.
Mrs. Rekha Chaudhary, Adv.
Mr. R Anbhule, Adv.
Mrs. Sona Khan, Adv.
Mr. Vikash Kumar Jha, Adv.
Ms. Namrata Sadhnani, Adv.
Ms. Ishika Srivastava, Adv.
M/s. Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, AOR
Mr. Sandeep Kumar Jha, AOR
Mr. Milind Kumar, AOR
Mr. Mohit Paul, AOR
Ms. Rashmi Nandakumar, AOR
Ms. Manika Tripathy, AOR
Ms. Pallavi Langar, AOR
Mr. Rajeev Kumar Dubey, AOR
Mr. Rajeev Maheshwaranand Roy, AOR
Mr. Vaibhav Niti, AOR
Mr. S.B. Upadhyay, Sr. Adv.
Ms. Anisha Upadhyay, AOR
Mr. Abhinav Kathuria, Adv.
Ms. Nisha Thakur, Adv.
Ms. Adarsh Nain, AOR
Mr. Guntur Pramod Kumar, AOR
Mr. Amrish Kumar, AOR
Mr. P. Wilson, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Balaji Subramanian, AAG
Ms. Purnima Krishna, AOR
Mr. M.F. Philip, Adv.
Mr. Karamveer Singh Yadav, Adv.
Mr. Togin M. Babichen, Adv.
Mrs. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G.
Mrs. Ruchi Kohli, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Mukesh Kumar Maroria, AOR
Mr. Jagdish Chandra Solanki, Adv.
Mr. Gaurang Bhushan, Adv.
Ms. Suhashini Sen, Adv.
Mr. Raghav Sharma, Adv.
Ms. Pallvi Hooda, Adv.
Mr. K. S. Rupal, Adv.
12
Ms. Kavya Manuja, Adv.
Dr. Surender Singh Hooda, AOR
Ms. Ankita Sharma, AOR
Mr. Arjun D Singh, Adv.
Ms. Ishika Neogi, Adv.
Mr. Divya Tripathi, Adv.
Ms. Supreeta Sharanagouda, AOR
Mr. Sharanagouda Patil, Adv.
Mrs. Supreeta Sharanagouda, Adv.
Mr. Yash S Tiwari, Adv.
Mr. Kotresh, Adv.
Ms. Ranu Purohit, AOR
Ms. Dharitry Phookan, AOR
Mr. Gautam Das, AOR
Mr. Abanikanta Sahu, Adv.
Mr. Kumar Pal, Adv.
Mr. J.D. Sharma, Adv.
Ms. Khushi Chopra, Adv.
Ms. Smita Samantaray, Adv.
Mr. R.k.padhi, Adv.
Mr. Rohit Oberoi, Adv.
Mr. Shivek Rai Kapoor, Adv.
Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Adv.
Ms. Seita Vaidyalingam, AOR
Mr. Kumar Anurag Singh, Adv.
Mr. Anando Mukherjee, AOR
Mr. Shwetank Singh, Adv.
Ms. Anzu. K. Varkey, AOR
Ms. Astha Sharma, AOR
Mr. T. R. B. Sivakumar, AOR
Mr. Sujit Kumar Mishra, AOR
Mr. Sunil Kumar Verma, AOR
Mr. Prakash Kumar Singh, AOR
Ms. Tanya Srivastava, AOR
Mr. Aniteja Sharma, AOR
Ms. Srishti Agnihotri, AOR
Mr. Nishanth Patil, AOR
M/s. Venkat Palwai Law Associates, AOR
Mr. Ajay Marwah, AOR
Mr. Ravindra S. Garia, AOR
Mr. Maninderjit Singh Bedi, Advocate General
Mr. Vivek Jain, A.A.G.
Mr. Karan Sharma, AOR
13
Mr. Vaibhav Srivastava, A.A.G.
Ms. Sugandha Anand, AOR
Mr. Bhargava Ravikumar, Adv.
Mr. Aldanish Rein, AOR
Mr. Chanchal Kumar Ganguli, Adv.
Mr. Kunal Mimani, AOR
Mr. Parag Chaturvedi, Adv.
Mr. Debmalya Ganguli, Adv.
Mr. Shantanu Kumar, AOR
Mr. Manan Verma, AOR
Mr. Nishant Ramakantrao Katneshwarkar, AOR
Ms. Vanshaja Shukla, AOR
Mr. Chirag M. Shroff, AOR
Ms. Mayuri Raghuvanshi, AOR
Mr. Vivek Jain, AOR
Mr. Abhishek Saket, Adv.
Mr. Sudeep Kumar, AOR
Ms. Manisha, Adv.
Ms. Rupali, Adv.
Ms. Rani Mishra, AOR
Mr. Avijit Mani Tripathi, AOR
Mr. Deeptakirti Verma, AOR
Ms. Usha Nandini V., AOR
Mr. Avneesh Arputham, AOR
Mr. Ankit Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Nimish Gupta, Adv.
Ms. Sanjana Saddy, AOR
Ms. Shailja Singh, Adv.
Mr. Kamlendra Mishra, AOR
Mr. Somesh Chandra Jha, AOR
Ms. Ruchira Goel, AOR
Mr. Siddharth Dharmadhikari, Adv.
Mr. Aaditya Aniruddha Pande, AOR
Mr. Shrirang B. Varma, Adv.
Mr. Bharat Bagla, Adv.
Mr. Aditya Krishna, Adv.
Mr. Parth Awasthi, Adv.
Mr. Pashupathi Nath Razdan, AOR
14
Ms. Maitreyee Jagat Joshi, Adv.
Mr. Astik Gupta, Adv.
Ms. Akanksha Tomar, Adv.
Mr. Tarun Gupta, AOR
Mr. Pukhrambam Ramesh Kumar, AOR
Mr. Karun Shamra, Adv.
Ms. Anupama Ngangom, Adv.
M/s Rajkumari Divyasana, Adv.
Mr. Venkata Raghuvamsy D., AOR
Ms. Swathi H. Prasad, AOR
Mr. Adeel Ahmed, AOR
Mr. Abul Kibriya, Adv.
Mr. Aamir Hussain, Adv.
Ms. Shreemoyee Bhattacharjee, Adv.
Ms. Taqdees Fatima, Adv.
Ms. Farha Naaz, Adv.
Mr. Jahngir Iqbal, Adv.
Mr. Mohd Ghouse Muddin Khan, Adv.
Mr. Ekansh Mishra, AOR
Dr. Nanda Kishore, AOR
Mr. P. S. Sudheer, AOR
Mr. Sunny Choudhary, AOR
Mr. Siddhartha Jha, AOR
Dr. Amardeep Gaur, Adv.
Mr. Surendra Kumar, Adv.
M/s V. Maheshwari & Co., AOR
Mr. Mayank Aggarwal, AOR
Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, AOR
Mr. Sameer Abhyankar, AOR
Mr. Krishna Rastogi, Adv.
Mr. Aryan Srivastava, Adv.
Ms. Ranjeeta Rohatgi, AOR
Mr. Shubham Upadhyay, AOR
Mr. Vivek Gupta, AOR
Dr. Arvind S. Avhad, AOR
Mr. Mukesh Kumar, AOR
Mr. Naveen Kumar, AOR
Mr. P. K. Manohar, AOR
Mr. Vinod Sharma, AOR
Ms. Surbhi Mehta, AOR
Mr. Rajeev Singh, AOR
Ms. Parul Shukla, AOR
15
Ms. Shubhangi Pandey, Adv.
Mr. Shovan Mishra, AOR
Mr. Jatinder Kumar Sethi, D.A.G.
Mr. Ashutosh Kumar Sharma, AOR
Mr. Ajay Kumar Bahuguna, Adv.
Ms. Suman Kukrety, AOR
Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Adv.
Ms. Suhashini Sen, Adv.
Mr. Raghav Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Raman Yadav, Adv.
Ms. Sunanda Shukla, Adv.
Ms. Disha Thakkar, Adv.
Mr. Yogesh Vats, Adv.
Dr. N. Visakamurthy, AOR
Mrs. Sumita Ray, AOR
Ms. Disha Ray, Adv.
Mr. Anurag Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Piyush Wadhwa, Adv.
Ms. Vanshika Singh, Adv.
Ms. Akshadha Nawani, Adv.
Ms. Vriddhi Bhatt, Adv.
Mr. Ajay Choudhary, AOR
Mr. B. K. Pal, AOR
Mr. James P. Thomas, AOR
Mr. S. Gowthaman, AOR
Mr. A. Karthik, AOR
Mr. Rajiv Kumar Choudhry, AOR
Mr. Anurag Tandon, AOR
Mr. Abhishek Pandey, Adv.
Mr. Prashant Kumar Umrao, AOR
Mr. Arun K. Sinha, AOR
Ms. Sakshi Kakkar, AOR
Mr. Aman Panwar, A.A.G.
Mr. Sanchit Garga, AOR
Ms. Rekha Patil, Adv.
Mr. Kunal Rana, Adv.
Mr. Shashwat Jaiswal, Adv.
Mr. Abhinav Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Manav Kaushik, Adv.
Ms. Tanu Priya Gupta, AOR
Mr. Pradeep Kumar Rai, Sr. Adv.
Ms. Modoyia Kayina, Adv.
16
Ms. Farhat Naim, Adv.
Mr. Vinay Kumar Rai, Adv.
Mrs. Rajshree Rai, Adv.
Mr. Paras Chauhan, Adv.
Mr. Parimal Rai, Adv.
Mr. Samyak Mordia, Adv.
Mr. Ranjeet Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Shreyansh Singh, Adv.
Ms. Karishma John, Adv.
Ms. Shweta, Adv.
M/s R And R Law Associates, AOR
Ms. Shalini Kaul, AOR
Mr. Sunil Kumar Sharma, AOR
Ms. Swati Ghildiyal, AOR
Ms. Neha Singh, Adv.
Mr. Siddharth Sharma, AOR
Mr. Raj Bahadur Yadav, AOR
Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Sr. Adv.
Ms. Suhasini Sen, Adv.
Mr. Raghav Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Gaurang Bhushan, Adv.
Mr. Baijnath Patel, Adv.
Mr. Sudarshan Lamba, Aor, Adv.
Mr. Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General
Mr. Lokesh Sinhal, Sr. A.A.G.
Ms. Dr. Monika Gusain, Sr. Adv.
Mr. B.K. Satija, A.A.G.
Ms. Karishma Malani, A.A.G.
Mr. Akshay Amritanshu, AOR
Mr. Madhav Sinhal, Adv.
Mr. Rahul Khurana, Adv.
Mr. Arjun Yaduvanshi, Adv.
Mr. Nikunj Gupta, Adv.
Mr. Sarthak Srivastava, Adv.
Mr. Mayur Goyal, Adv.
Ms. Seema Sindhu, Adv.
Mr. Sarthak Arya, Adv.
Mr. Abhishek Chand, Adv.
Mr. Deepak Vashisht, Adv.
Mr. Omanakuttan K. K., AOR
Mr. Ajit Sharma, AOR
Mr. Kanchan Kumar Singh, Adv.
Mr. Yuvaraj Sinh Solanki, Adv.
Mr. Anant Ram Mishra, Adv.
Mr. Lareb Habib Ansari, Adv.
17
Mr. Avijit Roy, AOR
Mr. Pawanshree Agrawal, AOR
Mr. Shoeb Alam, Sr. Adv.
Ms. Arpita Anna Mathew, Adv.
Mr. Veshal Tyagi, Adv.
Ms. Jahnavi Taneja, Adv.
Ms. Deepti Srivastava, Adv.
Mr. Girish Ahuja, Adv.
Mr. Khalid Ali, Adv.
Mr. Avijit Mani Tripathi, AOR
Mr. Upendra Mishra, Adv.
Mr. P.S. Negi, Adv.
Mr. T.K. Nayak, Adv.
Mr. Marbiang Khongwir, Adv.
UPON hearing the counsel the Court made the following
O R D E R
Item 1 – In Re: Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation Ltd. (DTTDC) I.A. No. 50108 of 2026, I.A. Nos. 38152 of 2026 and 38162 of 2026 IN I. A. Nos. 149950 of 2024 and 149951 of 2024 WITH I.A. NO.255587/2024 I.A. No. 50108 of 2026 and I.A. No. 38152 of 2026
1. I.A. No. 50108 of 2026 (application seeking permission to file impleadment) and I.A. No. 38152 of 2026 (application for impleadment) are allowed.
IA No.38162 of 2026 and IA No.255587 of 2024
2. These applications have been filed by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation Ltd. (DTTDC) seeking:
(i) clarification of the order dated 17.02.2025 passed by this Court in IA Nos. 149950 of 2024 and 149951 of 2024 in W.P.(C) No.202/1995.
(ii) direction that the concerned Kalagram land shall remain in the ownership and possession of DTTDC.18
3. To provide some brief context, the applicant is a Government company and is also the owner of land measuring 28 Bigha 15 Biswa (approx. 5.99 acres), which is a part of the Garden of Five Senses. The land was initially owned by the Gram Sabha but was subsequently allotted by the Director, Panchayat to the DTTDC. It seems that the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), without even verifying the title, possessory rights or the current status of the land, enumerated in its report No.24/2024 submitted to this Court recommending that this being a vacant land and not being used by DTTDC, the same may be converted into forest by the forest department to avoid encroachment. Such recommendations of the CEC were accepted by this Court vide order dated 17.02.2025 without hearing DTTDC. It is in this backdrop that the instant applications have been moved.
4. We find that no direction to divert the land owned by DTTDC to the forest department and its consequential utilisation for dense plantation could be issued without hearing the affected owner in possession. Consequently, the order dated 17.02.2025 is recalled. However, that being said, if any part of the land is required by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the DTTDC may provide such parcel of land so that the metro project is not hampered.
5. Since the DTTDC is a Government company and the principal owner of the land is the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), we direct the GNCTD, DTTDC, as well as the forest department to convene a joint meeting for which necessary steps shall be taken by the Chief Secretary of GNCTD. We thus leave it for the authorities of the State Government/its 19 agencies to consider utilizing the subject land and/or any other alternative land for developing it as a compensatory forest land. A decision to this effect shall be taken within eight weeks. The instant applications stand disposed of.
6. At this stage, Mr K. Parameshwar, learned senior counsel, has pointed out that the judgment and order dated 11.11.2025 passed by this Court in the Delhi Ridge Case, constituting the Delhi Ridge Management Board (DRMB), has not been complied with. On the other hand, learned counsel representing the Union of India states that a notification has been issued on 01.12.2025, constituting the DRMB.
7. We direct the Union of India to place on record an affidavit along with details of the constitution/composition of various statutory/non-statutory committees dealing with the management of forest/green areas and/or the related environmental issues. Such details will also include the CEC and the DRMB. This information is necessary in order to delineate the areas of operation entrusted to all these committees and further to identify overlaps, if any. The affidavit will also explain the statutory framework whereunder certain committees are required to be constituted to perform statutory duties under the different environmental laws. Such affidavit shall be filed within four weeks, with an advance copy to the learned amicus curiae. We have also impressed upon the learned amicus curiae to prepare a detailed note in this regard. Item 2 – In Re: Debadityo Sinha I.A. Nos.185063/2025, 185065/2025 & 185066/2025
8. These applications have been moved by one Debadityo Sinha 20 alleging large-scale encroachments and illegal felling of trees in the Mirzapur Forest Division, in Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh. The applicant in IA No.185063/2025 seeks the following reliefs:
“i. Direct the State of Uttar Pradesh that the proposed site for the 1600 MW coal-based thermal power plant of 365.19 acres in Dadri Khurd village, District Mirzapur which is inside the Marihan Forest Range of Mirzapur Forest Division and part of the proposed Sloth Bear Conservation Reserve of Marihan, Sukrit and Chunar Forest Ranges be preserved and protected by issuing necessary directions under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and that no non-forest activity be allowed in such area;
ii. Direct the Expert Committee of the State of Uttar Pradesh constituted under the Van (Samrakshan evam Samvardhan) Rules 2023 to identify and record the forest land in the Mirzapur, Wyndhamfall, Marihan, Sukrit, Chunar, Lalganj, Patehara and Dramadganj ranges in accordance with the order dated 04.03.2025 of this Hon’ble Court in Ashok Kumar Sharma v Union of India W.P. (C) No. 1164/2023;
iii. Direct the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to undertake complete multi-season wildlife inventory of the entire Mirzapur Forest Division to assess present status of wildlife and steps required to improve the habitat and the landscape connectivity;”
9. It seems that thereafter an application for amendment of prayer (i) has also been moved and as per the amended prayer, the applicant(s) seeks a direction to the State of Uttar Pradesh that the proposed Sloth Bear Conservation Reserve of Marihan, Sukrit and Chunar Forest Ranges be preserved and protected by issuing necessary directions under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and that no non-forest activity be allowed in such area.
10. On 12.08.2025, when it was pointed out that there was a case filed by the applicant before the NGT which was still pending, a statement was made on behalf of the applicant that such a case shall be withdrawn, and that the affected parties would be 21 impleaded. It seems that thereafter, the case before the NGT was withdrawn by the applicant. However, subsequently environmental clearance was granted to Mirzapur Thermal Energy (UP) Private Limited, against which a statutory appeal has been filed by applicant before NGT. Meanwhile, another interlocutory application has been filed before us seeking a stay on the construction activities and an enquiry into how the environmental clearance was granted.
11. In our considered opinion, all the prayers made in the multiple applications before us can be effectively granted by the NGT, barring a declaration of the subject area as a wildlife conservation area. Such a relief, in any case, will be consequential upon the grant of the principal reliefs sought in I.A. No.185063/2025 and I.A. No.275143/2025.
12. All these applications are, accordingly, disposed of with liberty to the applicant(s) to approach the NGT in the pending appeal and/or file any other separate petition/application with respect to the prayers made before us. It is clarified that we have not expressed any opinion on the merits of the prayers.
13. We have no reason to doubt that the NGT will hear all the issues comprehensively before passing the appropriate orders.
14. We request the NGT to decide the matter expeditiously. All contentions from both sides have been kept open, with liberty to raise them before the NGT.
22 Item 10 – In Re: The Divisional Engineer, Highways and Minor Posts Department I.A. No.319562/2025
15. This application has been moved by the State of Tamil Nadu through the Divisional Engineer, Highways and Minor Posts Department, seeking the following directions:
(a) Grant permission for cutting 1878 trees of spontaneous growth standing on 24.09 hectares of forest land proposed to be diverted for the widening and improvement of the existing single-lane road to an intermediate lane, from Paramanandal to Athipattu (chainage 0/0 km to 38/377 km) in Tiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu; and
(b) Pass such other Order or Orders, as this Hon'ble Court may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case.
16. The permission to cut 1878 trees from Parmanandal to Athipattu has been sought for the purpose of widening the existing single- lane road.
17. For the purpose of Compensatory Afforestation, the applicant has submitted that:
(A) 24.09 hectares of non-forest Government land in Survey Field No.44/3 of Kalladavi Village, Tiruvannamalai District has been identified.
(B) The identified land has been certified through suitable forestry purposes by the District Forest Officer and the Revenue Divisional Officer has issued a consent letter for transfer and mutation of the said land in favour of the Forest Department.
(C) The Compensatory Afforestation scheme provides for the planting of 24090 saplings, at a project cost of Rs.5,20,89,978, which includes: (i) A 10-year maintenance period; (ii) Chain link 23 fencing; and (iii) Soil and water conservation measures, including one percolation pond, one check dam, and five deer ponds.
(D) The applicant - State has undertaken to pay the net present value, Compensatory Afforestation cost and annual lease rent through the CAMPA e-portal as required by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
18. We have heard learned amicus curiae as well as Mr. P. Wilson, learned Senior Counsel, in support of the prayer made in this application.
19. We find that the prayer as contained in the application can be granted in terms of the order dated 11.01.2023 passed by this Court in respect of the State of Tamil Nadu only, the operative part of which has been reproduced by learned amicus curiae in para 10.6 of his note. This Court had granted permission in similar circumstances, subject to the following conditions:
1. Such felling shall be done only after necessary approval under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, Forest Conservation Rules, 2022, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Rules, 2018 are obtained from the Competent Authority under the said enactments.
2. The projects would be permitted only after the concurrence of the Integrated Regional Office (IRO), Chennai.
3. While granting such permissions, the authorities also should provide for necessary mitigation measures for ensuring free flow of the wildlife from one part of the forest to the other whenever such forest is divided by roads.
However, such modification shall not apply in respect of the roads which are required to be constructed or upgraded inside wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, tiger reserves and elephant corridors. The applications are, accordingly, disposed of.
20. Consequently, we direct that, subject to compliance with the 24 above-stated condition and also subject to honouring by the State, the undertaking regarding the Compensatory Afforestation, a brief to which has already been made, this application is allowed, and necessary permission is accorded.
21. The Divisional Forest Officer of the concerned area is directed to submit a proposal re: afforestation within four weeks, which shall be first considered by CEC and the learned amicus curiae.
Item 11 – In Re: The Divisional Engineer, Highways and Minor Posts Department I.A. No.53602/2026
22. This application has been moved by the State of Tamil Nadu through the Divisional Engineer, Highways and Minor Posts Department seeking the following directions:
a. Grant permission for cutting 1,071 (792 +279) trees of spontaneous growth standing on forest land proposed to be diverted for the widening and improvement of the existing single-lane road to an intermediate lane, from Jamunamarathur to Amirthi in Tiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu in Tiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu; and b. Pass such other Order or Orders, as this Hon'ble Court may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case.
23. The permission to cut 1071 trees from Jamunamarathur to Amirthi in Tiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu has been sought for the purpose of widening the existing single land road.
24. For the purpose of Compensatory Afforestation, the applicant has submitted that:
(A) 25.11 hectares of non-forest Government land in Survey Field 25 No.44/3 of Kalladavi Village, Tiruvannamalai District has been identified.
(B) Due to the availability of tree growth in the identified area, planting of 1000 saplings has been proposed only in 25.11 hectares of non-forest compensatory land. Further planting of 24600 seedlings is proposed in 41 hectares of degraded forest area (@ 600 seedlings per hectare) identified in Munnurmangalam RF in Pudupalayam Range of Tiruvannamalai Division.
(C) The Compensatory Afforestation Scheme provides for the planting of 25,110 saplings, at a project cost of Rs.4,71,08,614, which includes: (i) A 10-year maintenance period; (ii) Construction of percolation pond; (iii) Construction of Check Dam; (iv) Construction of Deer Ponds; and (v) Construction of Check post at the entrance of the road at Amirdhi including arch, gate, communication facilities etc. (D) The applicant - State has undertaken to pay the net present value, Compensatory Afforestation cost and annual lease rent through the CAMPA e-portal as required by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
25. We have heard learned amicus curiae as well as Mr. P. Wilson, learned Senior Counsel, in support of the prayer made in this application.
26. We find that the prayer contained in the application can be granted in terms of the order dated 11.01.2023 passed by this Court in respect of the State of Tamil Nadu only, the operative part of which has been reproduced by the learned amicus curiae in para 10.6 of his note. There, this Court had granted permission subject to 26 the following conditions:
1. Such felling shall be done only after necessary approval under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, Forest Conservation Rules, 2022, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Rules, 2018 are obtained from the Competent Authority under the said enactments.
2. The projects would be permitted only after the concurrence of the Integrated Regional Office (IRO), Chennai.
3. While granting such permissions, the authorities also should provide for necessary mitigation measures for ensuring free flow of the wildlife from one part of the forest to the other whenever such forest is divided by roads.
However, such modification shall not apply in respect of the roads which are required to be constructed or upgraded inside wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, tiger reserves and elephant corridors. The applications are, accordingly, disposed of.
27. Consequently, we direct that subject to compliance with the above-stated condition and also subject to honoring by the State, the undertaking regarding the Compensatory Afforestation, a brief to which has already been made, this application is allowed, and necessary permission is accorded.
28. The Divisional Forest Officer of the concerned area is directed to submit a proposal re: afforestation within four weeks, which shall be first considered by CEC and the learned amicus curiae.
Item 12 – In Re: The Chief Secretary, State of Tamil Nadu I.A. No.54738/2026 & I.A. No.54739/2026
29. The CEC is directed to examine the issue and submit a report within four weeks.
27 Item 13 – In Re: The Executive Engineer, Transmission Line Construction, General Construction Circle II, Tantransco, Alandur I.A. No.52123/2026
30. This application has been moved by the State of Tamil Nadu through the Executive Engineer, with the following prayers:
a. Grant permission for cutting 253 trees of spontaneous growth standing on 1.749 hectares of forest land re- routing of the existing 110KV DC feeders, specifically the lines (i) Nellikuppam–Mambakkam and (ii) Siruseri– Nallambakkam T-off, at Mambakkam between Location 154 and 159, along the boundary of Mambakkam Reserved Forest in Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu; and b. Pass such other Order or Orders, as this Hon'ble Court may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case.
31. The permission to cut 253 trees has been requested for the purpose of re-routing the existing 110 KV DC feeders, specifically the lines - (I) Nellikuppam – Mambakkam and (ii) Siruseri – Nallambakkam T-off, at Mambakkam between locations 154 and 159, along the boundary of Mambakkam Reserved Forest in Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu.
32. For the purpose of Compensatory Afforestation, the applicant has submitted that:
(A) 3.49 hectares of degraded forest have been identified in Mambakkam Reserved Forest at a project cost of Rs. 63,27,108/-, which exceeds the minimum requirement and complies with all Government and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change guidelines.
(B) In case of transmission line proposals, compensatory afforestation can be raised over degraded forest areas, subject to the condition that the project does not entail the acquisition of 28 non-forest land.
33. We have heard learned amicus curiae as well as Mr. P. Wilson, learned Senior Counsel, in support of the prayer made in this application.
34. We find that the prayer as contained in the application can also be granted in terms of order dated 11.01.2023 passed by this Court in respect of the State of Tamil Nadu only, the operative part of which has been reproduced by learned amicus curiae in para 10.6 of his note. There, this Court granted permission in similar circumstances subject to the following conditions:
“1. Such felling shall be done only after necessary approval under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, Forest Conservation Rules, 2022, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Rules, 2018 are obtained from the Competent Authority under the said enactments.
2. The projects would be permitted only after the concurrence of the Integrated Regional Office (IRO), Chennai.
3. While granting such permissions, the authorities also should provide for necessary mitigation measures for ensuring free flow of the wildlife from one part of the forest to the other whenever such forest is divided by roads.
However, such modification shall not apply in respect of the roads which are required to be constructed or upgraded inside wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, tiger reserves and elephant corridors. The applications are, accordingly, disposed of.”
35. Consequently, we direct that, subject to compliance with the above-stated condition and also subject to honouring by the State, the undertaking regarding the Compensatory Afforestation, a brief to which has already been made, this application is allowed, and necessary permission is accorded.
29
36. The Divisional Forest Officer of the concerned area is directed to submit a proposal re: afforestation within four weeks, which shall be first considered by CEC and the learned amicus curiae.
MAIN MATTER
37. At this stage, we deem it appropriate to request the learned amicus curiae to categorise all the pending interlocutory applications under different sub-heads to enable us to dispose of these applications through common orders.
38. We make it clear that once the interlocutory applications are categorised, the proceedings in the 1995 matter shall be formally closed, and such sub-categorised groups of interlocutory applications will be treated as independent writ petitions. The learned amicus curiae assures that the needful shall be done within two weeks.
39. List on 13.04.2026 at 2 p.m. only for the above-mentioned purpose.
(NITIN TALREJA) (ARJUN BISHT) (PREETHI T.C.) ASTT. REGISTRAR-cum-PS ASTT. REGISTRAR-cum-PS ASSISTANT REGISTRAR 30