Restore forest near Hyderabad university or face action: Supreme Court to Telangana

The Supreme Court on 15 May, Thursday, said felling of trees next to the University of Hyderabad prima facie appeared to be “pre-planned” and asked the Telangana government to restore it or its officials could land in jail.

A bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih said it was for the state to make a choice between or sending their .

The bench questioned why trees were felled, taking advantage of a long weekend when the courts were not available.

“Prime facie, it appears that it was all pre-planned. Three days' holidays coming and you took advantage as [the] court would not be available,” the CJI said.

While taking suo motu cognisance of the deforestation activities in the Kancha Gachibowli Forest, the apex court on 3 April had ordered a status quo until further orders, except the protection of trees already existing there by the state or any authority.

On Thursday, 15 May, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Telangana government, said there was no activity being carried out at the site and assured compliance with the top court’s directives in “letter and spirit”.

Senior advocate K. Parameshwar, assisting the top court as an amicus curiae, said the Forest Survey of India reported to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) that satellite imagery indicated 60 per cent of the total 104-acre area where trees were felled was moderately dense or heavily dense forest.

“If you want to be saved from contempt, better take a decision to restore the forest,” the bench told the state’s counsel.

The bench went on, “We are putting you on guard. If you try to defend such a thing, the chief secretary and all those officers involved will be in trouble.”

It added, “You should not have indulged [in] this. Taking advantage of a long weekend, you do all these things.”

Referring to the photographs, the bench said the authorities had managed to arrange dozens of bulldozers to fell the trees.

For felling trees, the bench observed, the state was required to take requisite permission.

“If you had bonafides, then why did you not start it on a Monday? Why only started it at the beginning of a long weekend?” the bench asked.

Singhvi, who said the state has filed a counter affidavit in the court, argued he would deal with these aspects during his arguments in the matter.

The bench observed it was the state’s choice whether it wanted its chief secretary and half a dozen officers to be shifted to a temporary prison to be constructed at the site.

One of the advocates in the matter said if restoration of forest has to be done, it has to be done during the upcoming monsoon period.

“The state’s response that they have filed, they have only tried to defend their action and they are saying they want to go forward with that IT construction,” the advocate said.

He said no restoration plan was placed before the court by the state.

Singhvi referred to the counter affidavit and said he would try to persuade the court that both ecology and IT could go hand in hand.

“That is another issue... we have always been advocates of sustainable development. That is not the question here. The question is, felling of thousands of trees taking advantage of the long weekend,” the bench said.

During the hearing, another advocate said he filed an application on behalf of whistleblower students who wanted to save the forest.

Several University of Hyderabad students have been detained while protesting against the forest area being cleared by govt JCBs in Gachibowli.

Looks like the govt is going ahead with its plan. #gachibowli #Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/FUPzCgZNAG

— Yunus Lasania (@YunusLasania) March 30, 2025

While the students faced FIRs, an examination was underway in the university, he said. The bench said the applicants could move a separate plea raising their grievances.

“We are here concerned only with the protection of forest. Don’t enlarge the scope,” the bench said. The hearing has been posted for 23 July.

On 16 April, the apex court rapped the Telangana government over its rushed action to fell trees there and directed it to submit a specific plan to restore the 100 acres of deforested land if it wanted its chief secretary “to be saved from any severe action”.

PTI inputs edited for clarity

Protesting students at Hyderabad University had celebrated when the Supreme Court had last put a pause on the tree felling