Kerala High Court orders SIT probe into tree-cutting

The court directed the SIT to complete its probe at the earliest to protect the interest of the State and the public and ensure such incident do not recur. 

The High Court said removal of valuable public property (trees) from the forest areas as well as government and patta lands was a serious matter and no manner of leniency or laxity can be shown in such cases. 

"That being the situation, we have no doubt in our mind that the State will have to take the matter forward more seriously. The SIT has to necessarily carry out the investigation, bearing in mind the seriousness of the issue of cutting and removal of valuable trees like teak, timber, rosewood and ebony from the forest, government, and patta lands, and the investigation shall not be saddled only with regard to the trees cut and removed from the patta lands," the court said. 

The order came on a PIL (public interest litigation) seeking handing over to the CBI the investigation into the illegal felling of trees in the State. 

Disposing of the petition, the court said, "Taking into account the facts, material and law, we are of the view that there are no reasons at this point of time to change the investigating agency as prayed for." 

The court further said, "...if anybody, howsoever high he is, is involved in the illegal cutting and removal of trees, adequate and stringent action shall be initiated by the SIT at the earliest possible to ensure the evidence required for properly proceeding with the investigation and for culmination of the prosecution proceedings is not defaced or removed by the culprits." 

The court said the details of the trees cut and their value in the report submitted by the Crime Branch would make it clear that a concerted action has taken place in order to cut and remove the valuable trees from the forest areas, government and patta lands, which could not have been done without the connivance and blessings of the high officials of the departments concerned. 

The report had said that during investigation, it was found that a total number of 2,696 scheduled trees (2,520 teak trees and 176 rosewood trees) were cut and removed from forest areas in various districts of Kerala.