The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the state government to submit a detailed report within two weeks outlining actions taken regarding illegal logging and the subsequent social boycott of the villagers who reported it.
A division bench of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay issued the order on Friday while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning Gram Sabha Tauli, located in the Vikasnagar area of Dehradun. The court expressed serious concern over the situation, questioning state representatives about the administrative response since the villagers first filed a complaint on January 20.
Forest Department Confirms Damage
Six residents of Gram Sabha Tauli filed the petition after witnessing extensive tree cutting in their village in January. Following their initial complaint to the forest department, an investigation by the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) confirmed that 54 trees had been illegally cut down. The report also noted that another 29 trees, including peepal and mango species, sustained severe damage due to the excessive cutting of branches.
Petitioners Face Social Ostracism
The petitioners claimed that local authorities failed to take effective punitive action against those responsible, despite official confirmation of the environmental damage. Instead, the six villagers who spoke out against the tree felling alleged they became targets of retaliation. According to the lawsuit, the Gram Sabha passed a formal resolution to penalize the whistleblowers and enforce a community-wide social boycott against them.
In its directive, the high court ordered the state government and relevant departments to clarify the exact measures taken from the moment the initial January complaint and subsequent forestry report were received.
