Illegal tree pruning: Delhi govt tells NGT FIR ordered against Mangolpuri man

Forest department said the accused and MCD will each plant five native trees, while prosecution may follow under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act.

The Delhi government informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday that it has directed the Delhi Police to register an FIR against a man for illegally pruning a tree in a park in northwest Delhi’s Mangolpuri.

(AI representation)The Delhi government told National Green Tribunal that police action was initiated for violating tree protection norms. (HT)

In a submission before the tribunal, the forest department said both the individual and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the land-owning agency in the case, will be required to carry out compensatory plantation of five native tree species each.

The NGT was hearing a plea concerning the illegal headbacking of a fully grown sheesham tree in the area. In a report dated January 6, the forest department said it had instructed the Mangolpuri police station to register an FIR for violation of Section 8 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994, which restricts the felling and removal of trees. “After the FIR, the present case will be moved for prosecution under Section 24 of the DPTA,” the report stated.

Under Section 24 of the DPTA, a person found guilty may face imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of ₹1,000, or both.

“To compensate for the environmental damage caused by the illegal headbacking of the said tree, it is hereby directed that the alleged offender and the MCD shall each plant five trees of native species, having a height of not less than six feet, in a nearby vicinity of DDA Market No. 3, Mangolpuri Ward No. 42, within a period of one month,” the forest department said.

A forest official, who asked not to be identified, said FIRs were increasingly being pursued to act as a deterrent against illegal felling and pruning. Such cases can be registered by the police under either the DPTA or the Environment Protection Act, 1986, the official added.

“We have been proactively registering FIRs for the past one to two years. We also impose penalties and direct compensatory plantation depending on the nature of the violation,” the official said.

Last year, on the complaint of the forest department, the police had registered an FIR for the illegal felling of 17 trees and heavy pruning of 10 trees in the State Trading Corporation (STC) housing colony in Mehrauli. Similarly, eight FIRs were registered in 2025 under the Environment Protection Act for illegal dumping of waste in the Ridge—four in Fatehpur Beri, three in Maidangarhi, and one in Neb Sarai, data showed.