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An excavator was seen in the 400-acre land in Kancha Gachibowli, Rangaredddy district, in Hyderabad on April 2, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Siddhant Thakur
The Supreme Court gave the State of Telangana a choice between restoring the ruined acres of Kancha Gachibowli forest where trees were felled for an IT infrastructure project during an extended weekend or face the prospect of its Chief Secretary and “half a dozen officials” being sent to a “temporary prison” near the bulldozed green cover.
“It is for the State to make a choice between restoring the forest or having the Chief Secretary and officials in prison,” Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai stated firmly on Thursday (May 15, 2025).
Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, appearing for Telangana, said the State deserved its day in court to persuade that IT and ecology could go together. “I am here to persuade My Lords that ecology and IT can go together. Can I not persuade Your Lordships? Must I drop my case here and now,” he asked the Bench also comprising Justice A.G. Masih.
Chief Justice Gavai said whether IT and ecology could go hand in hand was another question.
“We have always been advocates of sustainable development. But the question here is the felling of thousands of trees, taking advantage of a long weekend,” the Chief Justice reacted.
Also read | Central Empowered Committee favours declaration of 400-acre Kancha Gachibowli land as forest
Mr. Singhvi maintained that “thousands” of trees were not cut. “We have seen the photographs,” Chief Justice Gavai responded.
Mr. Singhvi submitted that not a leaf has been moved on the site after the apex court ordered everything to be stopped on April 16. The State was complying with the court’s direction in letter and spirit. A huge afforestation programme was underway in the area.
Amicus curiae, senior advocate K. Parameshwar, drew the attention of the court to a finding in a Forest Survey of India report, which was forwarded to the Central Empowered Committee, that out of the 104 acres cut in two nights, over 60% had been moderately and heavily dense forest.
“So there is a very clear finding,” Mr. Parameshwar submitted.
The court asked the State whether an Environment Clearance process was undertaken before the trees were felled.
The Bench cautioned the State that it may face contempt proceedings if it tried to defend its actions. On March 4, the Supreme Court had barred any activity to deplete forest cover across the country.
“Have you seen the photographs of the site… There were a dozen bulldozers. How did you make arrangements in such a short spell? Prima facie, it appears everything was pre-planned,” Chief Justice Gavai addressed the State.
The State had previously denied the land was a forest. The claim, it said, that the area was forest land had sprung up only after developmental activities commenced following the allotment of the land to the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation. Mr. Singhvi submitted that the processes regarding the allotment had been on since March 2024. He said the intention of the State was bona fide.
Also read: 400 acres in Kancha Gachibowli doesn’t belong to UoH: Telangana Govt
“If your intention was bona fide, why did you start the felling of the trees at the beginning of a long weekend when courts were closed? You should not have indulged in this” Chief Justice Gavai told the State.
The court scheduled the case for further hearing on July 23.
The Bench did not entertain an interim application alleging that FIRs were registered against “whistleblower” students. The court gave them liberty to pursue suitable legal remedies before the appropriate court to quash the FIRs.
“You cannot enlarge the scope through an interim application. Here we are only concerned with the protection of the forest. You can go for suitable proceedings. You are entitled to file for quashing of the FIRs,” Chief Justice Gavai told the counsel.
Published – May 15, 2025 05:07 pm IST
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