Supreme Court issues notice to Delhi Tree Authority and officers: 'What procedure followed in tree felling?'

The Supreme Court in the case MC Mehta versus The Union Of India And Ors observed and has issued notice to the Tree Authority and the Tree Officers who are being appointed under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, in a petition filed seeking to prevent the Delhi government in order to permit tree felling under the Act without prior permission from the court.

The bench comprising of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih was hearing the present matter.

The bench in the case was hearing the petition filed that also seeks the constitution of an expert committee to evaluate the current tree protection measures in Delhi and for submitting the recommendations for preserving existing trees and forests.

The bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka stated that, 'What this court proposes to do is, this court wants to hear the tree officer and tree authority, what is the procedure they follow? What kind of checks and balances are there in the procedure they follow in tree felling. And then this court proposes to pass some order.'

Adding to it, the bench of Justice Abhay Oka stated that, 'Some mechanism will have to be worked out; otherwise, indiscriminately powers are exercised.'