Illegal Khair Felling: HC directs DLSA to verify complaints
Photo used for indicative purpose only. Source internet
Shimla, June 25
Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Una, to independently verify complaints of alleged illegal felling and smuggling of Khair trees in Una district and assist the complainant by making efforts to establish contact with him.
The court also directed the Secretary, DLSA, Una, to make periodic visits to the Gagret forest check-post and file an independent status report before the court.
The directions were passed by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin C. Negi while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation initiated on the basis of a communication received on March 8, 2026.
The communication alleged large-scale tree cutting and smuggling from forests in Tehsil Gagret, Una district, and was accompanied by GPS-tagged photographs showing trucks loaded with timber. It also alleged that instead of acting against the culprits, authorities had targeted those who recorded and circulated the videos on social media.
During the hearing, the State informed the court that an FIR had been registered under the Information Technology Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against users of a mobile number and administrators of a social media page for allegedly creating public mischief.
The Forest Department also submitted that the complainant, Rohit Katwal, administrator of the Instagram page "We Are Himachal", had been repeatedly asked to join the investigation but failed to cooperate. It clarified that no FIR had been registered against him.
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The Forest Department further informed the court that the Gagret forest check-post, located on the Himachal Pradesh-Punjab border along National Highway-03, is a major transit point for the legal movement of forest produce.
According to the department, GPS-tagged photographs showed vehicles carrying permitted species such as Safeda, Poplar, Bamboo, Japani Toot and Licinia to the Hoshiarpur timber market. It stated that 69 vehicles transporting open-species forest produce were thoroughly checked and allowed to proceed after verification of valid transit permits.
At the same time, the department admitted that illegal transportation of forest produce remained a concern. It informed the court that 149 vehicles had been identified in connection with unauthorized transportation, including 102 vehicles in Amb Range alone. The Dehra Forest Division had also seized 15 vehicles involved in illegal transportation within its jurisdiction.
The High Court observed that there was nothing on record to indicate the quantity of forest produce being transported out of Himachal Pradesh or the exact species being moved under the cover of permitted timber.
It therefore directed the Divisional Forest Officer, Una, to file a detailed affidavit explaining the movement of forest produce and the measures being taken to curb illegal transportation.
The Bench also took note of a newspaper report published in The Himachal Tribune alleging illegal felling of Khair trees in forest areas and directed that an earlier public interest litigation concerning tree cutting in the same region be listed along with the present case. The matter has been posted for further hearing on July 13, 2026.
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