New Delhi, January 13, 2026 : The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Principal Bench at New Delhi, has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report highlighting extensive tree felling across several districts of Madhya Pradesh, raising serious concerns about compliance with environmental laws.
The Tribunal registered Original Application No. 20/2026 based on a news item titled “मध्य प्रदेश में इस साल 15 लाख पेड़ कटेंगे”, published in Dainik Bhaskar on 8 January 2026. The matter was heard on 13 January 2026 by a Bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Chairperson, and Dr. A. Senthil Vel, Expert Member.
According to the report, more than 15 lakh trees, many aged between 50 and 100 years, have already been cut or are proposed to be cut for various development projects such as roads, coal blocks, railways, and highway expansion. Districts mentioned include Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Singrauli, Khandwa, Vidisha, and Ujjain. The report also linked the large-scale deforestation to a rise in Air Quality Index levels in the region.
Specific instances cited include the cutting of around 35,000 trees over 1,397.54 hectares of forest land in Singrauli, with an additional proposal to fell about 5.7 lakh trees in dense forest areas. In Khandwa, around 1.25 lakh trees are proposed to be cut for a railway project, while in Vidisha about 25,000 trees may be removed for the Bhopal–Kanpur Highway. Other projects include the Indore–Ujjain road, a 10-lane project in Bhopal involving 7,871 trees, and extensive felling in and around Gwalior.
The NGT observed that the facts disclosed in the news item prima facie indicate violations of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. It noted that the scale of the alleged deforestation raises substantial issues regarding compliance with environmental norms and warrants judicial scrutiny.
While invoking its suo motu jurisdiction, the Tribunal referred to the Supreme Court’s recognition of such powers in Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai v. Ankita Sinha & Ors., underscoring that matters with significant environmental implications justify intervention on the Tribunal’s own motion.
The NGT has impleaded several authorities as respondents, including the Director General of Forests, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, Madhya Pradesh; the Central Pollution Control Board; the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Madhya Pradesh; and the Integrated Regional Office of the Ministry at Bhopal. All respondents have been directed to file their replies by affidavit at least one week before the next hearing. The Tribunal clarified that any respondent filing a reply directly, without routing it through counsel, must remain virtually present to assist the Bench.
The matter is listed for further consideration on 9 March 2026, when the Tribunal will examine the responses and assess compliance with environmental laws in relation to the alleged large-scale tree felling in Madhya Pradesh.
