Cutting large number of trees worse than killing human beings: Supreme Court
The Hindu
Supreme Court fines man ₹1 lakh per tree for illegally cutting 454 trees, stating it's worse than killing humans.
“Cutting a large number of trees is worse than killing human beings,” the Supreme Court has said while fining a man ₹1 lakh for each illegally cut tree.
A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan made the observation while rejecting the plea of a man who had chopped down 454 trees in the protected Taj Trapezium Zone.
"There should be no mercy in environmental cases. Felling a large number of trees is worse than killing a human," the bench said.
The top court said it will take at least 100 years minimum to again regenerate or recreate the green cover created by 454 trees which were blatantly cut without permission.
The apex court accepted the report of the central empowered committee (CEC), which recommended a fine of ₹1 lakh per tree for cutting 454 trees in Dalmia Farms in Mathura-Vrindavan by one Shiv Shankar Agarwal.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Mr. Agarwal, submitted that he has admitted the mistake, but the court refused to reduce the fine amount.
The court said Mr. Agarwal should be allowed to do plantations at a nearby site and said the contempt plea filed against him would be disposed only after compliance.
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