NGT disposes of tree-felling plea already with HC

Bhopal: The NGT central bench, on Tuesday, disposed of a petition seeking its intervention in the axing of trees for a road widening project, stating that the chief justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court was already seized of the matter.The matter pertains to the felling of 488 trees by the PWD, Raisen, in October 2025 for broadening the Bangrasia-Bhojpur road on the city's outskirts.Before the NGT could take up the plea filed by Nitin Saxena, an environment activist, the HC took up the matter suo moto after taking cognisance of a TOI report published on Oct 28, 2025.The report detailed how the trees were brought down without the regulatory nod of a panel set up by the NGT or permission from a nine-member committee set up by the state govt or the tree officer concerned.Disposing of the plea, the NGT bench of Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and expert member Prashant Gargav said the tribunal isn't supposed to hear a case when the high court or the Supreme Court was already seized of it. Citing the TOI article of October 28, 2025, an HC bench led by the chief justice directed the registration of a suo moto petition over the felling of trees for the road."(Since) a legal doctrine prevents the same dispute from being litigated in multiple courts simultaneously, to avoid conflict in judgments, a further proceeding is not desired by this tribunal. The matter has (already) been raised before the high court headed by the chief justice," the NGT bench stated on the plea. It told the petitioner that if there was any other matter pertaining to the petition, he could file a fresh plea with the green bench.