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Mumbai Metro was ordered by the Supreme Court to pay a fine of Rs 10 lakh (File) Noting that the Mumbai Metro tried to exceed the jurisdiction of the court, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered it to pay a fine of Rs 10 lakhs within two weeks for cutting down trees in Aarey Forest, beyond authorization. A bench consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala ruled that it was inappropriate for Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) to change the tree authority for felling any tree over 84 years.
The High Court, however, allowed the company to remove 177 trees from the Aarey Forest, saying that stopping the felling of trees would lead to the undesirable closure of the public project.
“MMRCL is expected within two weeks to provide an amount of 10 lakhs to the Conservator of Forests. The Conservative must ensure that all the reforestation that has been ordered is completed,” said the caucus.
"We are requesting the director of IIT Bombay to send a team to verify compliance. A report is expected to be submitted to this court in three weeks," he added.
In 2019, the High Court heard suo motu of a letter to the Chief Justice of India from law student Rishav Ranjan calling for a moratorium on logging in the settlement.
