The Indian Army, appearing as an intervener before the Jabalpur bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, sought permission on Thursday to fell trees for a project on the Bangrasiya-Bhojpur road. The court was hearing a suo motu petition against alleged illegal tree-felling in the area.
Contesting the plea, the Army argued that key infrastructure projects for the forces do not fall under the provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The division bench, headed by Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, allowed the petition but clarified that regulatory approval must be obtained from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in matters pending before it.
The High Court had previously banned tree-felling across Madhya Pradesh without prior permission from a high-level committee constituted by the NGT or the district tree officer appointed by the state government. The court took cognizance of a Times of India report on October 28, 2025, about the axing of 488 trees for widening the Bangrasia-Bhojpur road.
During the hearing, a serving Army colonel from the Madhya Bharat region argued that the Forest (Conservation) Act was amended in 2023, exempting certain entities from its provisions in specific situations. Infrastructure and capacity-building projects of the Indian Army are among those exempted, he contended.
The plea filed by the Army noted that Madhya Pradesh houses several defense establishments, and land usage by them is directly associated with infrastructure and capacity building in the interest of national security. After hearing arguments, the two-judge bench allowed the petition while emphasizing the need for NGT approval.
