HC allows tree-felling for Army project but insists on NGT nod

Bhopal/Jabalpur: Appearing as an intervener during the hearing on a suo motu petition by the Jabalpur bench of Madhya Pradesh high court, against alleged illegal tree-felling for a project on Bangrasiya-Bhojpur road, the Indian Army (Madhya Bharat area) on Thursday sought permission of the division bench for the axing of trees.Contesting the plea, the Army sought the court’s nod for tree-felling, contending that key infrastructure projects for the forces do not fall within the ambit of provisions laid down under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.The bench, headed by Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, allowed the petition but said a regulatory nod has to be obtained from the NGT in matters pending before the green tribunal.The HC had banned axing of trees across MP without the prior nod of a high-level committee constituted by the NGT for the purpose or the district tree officer appointed by the state government.Taking cognisance of a TOI report on October 28, 2025 over the axing of 488 trees for widening Bangrasia-Bhojpur road, Chief justice Sachdeva agreed to hear the case on a suo motu plea.Over the course of hearings on the petition, the court barred axing of trees across MP unless prior permission was obtained from the NGT-appointed panel or the district tree officer concerned.During his turn as an intervener at the hearing on Thursday, a serving Army colonel from Madhya Bharat region argued that the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 was amended in 2023, exempting certain entities from the ambit of its provisions in particular situations.Infrastructure and capacity building projects of the Indian Army are among those exempted, he argued.MP houses a number of defence establishments and the land usage by them is directly associated with infrastructure and capacity building in the interest of national security, read the plea filed by the Army.After hearing the arguments, the two-judge bench allowed the petition while underlining the need for an NGT nod.