Punjab and Haryana HC gives bail to two on promise of planting 300 saplings

Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday gave bail to two persons accused of cutting 200 plants of musket, a medicinal plant.

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday gave bail to two persons accused of cutting 200 plants of musket, a medicinal plant, after making them promise that they would plant 300 saplings.

Seeking interim protection from arrest, they had told court that they would plant 300 saplings of same or similar varieties of the plant in the area where it was alleged that they had cut down 200 plants. (HT File/Representative image)

The high court acted on the petitions of Devender Bhadana of Faridabad and Hari Bhati of Meerut, UP, who had approached court seeking protection fearing arrest by police. They are accused of cutting 200 plants of musket in Surajkund area of Faridabad, in November 2017. The FIR, registered on November 21, was lodged on the complaint of Faridabad unit of state forest department.

Seeking interim protection from arrest, they had told court that they would plant 300 saplings of same or similar varieties of the plant in the area where it was alleged that they had cut down 200 plants. They had also undertaken that the new plantation would be maintained on their expenses for two years by forest department and they would have no claim on these grown up Musket plants at later stage.

The court also asked them to join investigation as and when asked for by investigating officer, not to make any inducement, threat to any person associated with the case and not to leave the country without court’s permission.

They were booked for disobeying order promulgated by a public servant and cutting of trees in a notified area under The Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900.