Two SC benches send two contempt notices to DDA chief

NEW DELHI: In a rare instance, two benches of the Supreme Court issued contempt notices to Delhi Development Authority vice-chairman Subhasish Panda for violating SC’s 1995 order by allowing large scale felling of trees through the southern ridge’s Satbari area to construct a 11 km road from Chhatarpur to SAARC university.
On Thursday, a bench of Justices A S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan entertained a petition by one Bindu Kapurea and issued notice to the DDA vice-chairman asking him to remain personally present in the court on May 14 and show cause why proceedings under Contempt of Court Act be not initiated for felling trees in February in southern ridge in violation of SC’s October 10, 1995 order.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said that though there is a ridge management board, constituted on the orders of the court, it is doing precious little to protect the lungs of the national capital. No wonder people now refer to it as a ridge destruction board, he said.
Interestingly, the forest bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta had on April 24, on the issue of road construction being brought to its notice by amicus curiae K Parameshwar, had issued notice to Panda calling upon him to show cause why action be not taken against him for committing contempt the contempt of the SC orders.
Justice Gavai-led bench had said, “Prima facie we find that the action of DDA in felling the trees and constructing the road in contempt of the orders passed by this court.”
In another petition filed by NGO ‘New Delhi Nature Society’ alleging felling of trees, digging of trenches and breaking of rocks inside popular Buddha Jayanti park, which is part of central Ridge and a protected forest, the bench led by Justice Oka issued notice to CPWD director general Rajesh Kumar Kaushal and asked him to remain present in court on May 14 to show cause why proceedings under Contempt of Court Act be not initiated against him.
Senior advocate A D N Rao informed the court that the functionaries of petitioner NGO in April last week discovered several trenches having been dug inside the Buddha Jayanti Park, which is under the management of CPWD, and several trees felled without obtaining any statutory forest and environment clearances from concerned authorities.
“The inaction to stop the construction/felling of trees in the ridge reserved forest in Delhi in violation of the SC orders appears to be willful and deliberate acts of the respondent who deserve to be punished for the contumacious actions.