The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued an interim order halting the felling or transplantation of trees on a nursery land in Mandla district. This land, spread over approximately 2.9 lakh square feet and used as a nursery since 1981, was recently allocated for constructing administrative buildings, including a Joint District Office and the Superintendent of Police's office.
The case, registered as WP No. 19722 of 2025, was brought before the Court through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by petitioner Abdul Gaffar Quareshi. Represented by Advocate D.K. Tiwari, the petitioner challenged an order issued by the Mandla District Collector on October 1, 2024. This order transferred the nursery land for government construction purposes.
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Tiwari argued that the land in question contains nearly 10,000 fruit-bearing trees, some aged between 20 to 30 years, and emphasized that cutting or relocating them would lead to significant ecological loss. He also informed the Court that in exchange for the land, the nursery operations were proposed to be moved to Gazipur village, located 15 km away—raising concerns over the feasibility of such relocation.
On behalf of the State Government, Additional Advocate General (AAG) Nilesh Yadav appeared and contested the petitioner’s claims. He submitted that, according to official instructions, only 18 trees would be affected, not 10,000 as alleged. The AAG requested additional time to present the site map and the construction layout before the court.
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“In the meantime, it is directed that no tree shall be cut or re-transplanted without the leave of this Court,”
— Ordered by Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf
The Court accepted the plea and issued a notice to the respondents. Both parties have been directed to return with the necessary documents on the next hearing date.
“Issue notice. Notice is accepted by learned counsel appearing for respondents/State… At request, re-notify on 14.07.2025.”
— Court Order dated June 23, 2025
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The petitioner has also requested the Court to quash the District Collector’s order or, at the very least, stay its effect until a final decision is made.
The matter is now scheduled to be heard on July 14, 2025.
Case Title: Abdul Gaffar Quareshi vs The State of Madhya Pradesh & Others (WP No. 19722 of 2025)