Today, Delhi's Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, has submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court, in which he defends his actions related to the extensive tree felling in the Delhi Ridge forest area.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, recently questioned the Lieutenant Governor to clarify how the trees were cut, given the Court's previous directives prohibiting such actions in the area without its permission.

In an affidavit dated October 22, Lieutenant Governor Saxena stated that he was unaware of the need to obtain prior permission from the Court for tree felling until after the process had commenced. He mentioned that during a visit in February to a site for a road widening project aimed at improving access to the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS), he was informed that approval for cutting the trees was pending from the "competent authority." According to his affidavit, he had requested that this approval be expedited but did not recognize that the Court's permission was also necessary.

"The Deponent was also not aware, nor made aware of the fact that further permission was required from this Hon'ble Court," the LG said.

He further stated that he became aware of the requirement for permission from the Supreme Court only on March 21, when a proposal from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was received regarding the formation of an expert committee. By that time, the actual tree felling had already begun around February 16. He emphasized that there was no intention to violate the Supreme Court's directives, describing the circumstances surrounding the events as extremely unfortunate.

"The unfortunate event of felling of the trees on account of certain acts of mission and commission on the part of the DDA, without permission of this Hon'ble Court is deeply regretted," the LG's affidavit said.

However, he clarifies that these actions were taken in good faith. In this context, the LG pointed to a February 14 notification issued by the Delhi government, which granted approval for tree felling under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994 (DPTA). He suggested that this notification may have been misinterpreted by field officers as authorization for the tree felling.

Nonetheless, he stated that a departmental inquiry has been initiated against the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials responsible for executing the project, and a criminal complaint has been filed against the officers at fault before a magistrate.

The LG also emphasized that the tree cutting was necessary for an important project (the road widening for CAPFIMS), in which ₹2,200 crores of public funds have already been invested. He clarified that the actual number of trees felled is approximately 642, not the 1,100 previously reported to the Court.

Additionally, the LG urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the contempt case against DDA's Vice-Chairman, Subhasish Panda, explaining that Panda was undergoing medical surgery during the tree felling and did not return to the office until March 12.