"There is illegal felling of trees", SC issues notice to Centre, flood-hit states

The Supreme Court of India has today issued notice on a PIL seeking the formation of a SIT involving experts to find out the reasons for the floods in the northern states of India.

Taking note of the over unprecedented rains and floods, a CJI Gavai led bench today said, "Prima facie we have seen that there is illegal felling of trees..". CJI went on to ask Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to take note of the situation, saying it was a very serious issue.

Notices have been issued to the Union of India, National Disaster Management Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Jal Shakti, National Highways Authority of India, the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakand, Punjab and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Filed under Article 32 by one Anamika Rana, the plea seeks the intervention of the Supreme Court for formation of guidelines or order a SIT enquiry to prevent future disaster and also to protect the pristine Ecology of the Himalayan States.

The petitioner has drawn the court's urgent attention towards the rising occurrences inter alia of landslides and flashfloods, particularly in the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and also in other Himalayan States.

"The Central and States Government in spite of having dedicated Disasters Authorities have no plan in place to prevent or mitigate the losses due to these disasters whose frequency has increased of late. Further disregard of hill road manual, encroachment on water bodies etc. are also contributing to the increase in frequency of these disasters. Further the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate change and Ministry of Jal Shakti have also failed in its duty to protect the pristine Ecology and the Rivers of the Himalayan region from degradations", the PIL states.

Court has been told that Government Authorities are lacking in preparing a plan in advance to mitigate the loss of life and property during the Disasters events or even if some plan is there it was not properly implemented.

The petition refers to fatal landslides, flashfloods, widespread flooding of rivers, streams and natural water channels and courses, unprecedented number of deaths, loss of houses and damage to properties, road-blockades and damage to public infrastructure due to mindless, indiscriminate, unscientific and unsustainable hill-cutting regardless of geological, geo-technical, slope stability/strength and ecological considerations, muck dumping on/along hill slopes, rivers, water channels and courses and on open lands and depressions, resulting in obstruction, thereby, aggravating the impacts of flashfloods.

The petition also raises the failure of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to take any measures under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act and/or issue directions under Section 5 of the said Act in curbing the practices that cause devastation in the forms of flashfloods, landslides, cave-in of roads and river/channel flooding.

Referring to landslides on the Chandigarh-Manali Highway, which result in massive traffic congestions even inside the long Tunnels on the said Highway whereby people in vehicles are left stranded and completely suffocated, gasping for breath, court has been told that no help or emergency operational measures are deployed neither by the NHAI nor by the state authorities for prevention of such a catastrophic situation inside the tunnels or near the landslide-prone areas/stretches, for relief, rescue, first-aid and safety measures.

"No steps are, presently, in place to control, check and regulate the number of vehicles, visitors and tourists entering from neighboring states/UTs such as Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, leaving them vulnerable to fatalities and mishaps, besides having no control even on the inter district movement of people in the state", the PIL adds.

Case Title: Anamika Rana vs. Union of India and Ors.

Hearing Date: September 4, 2025

Bench: CJI Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran