The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed a man to plant 50 trees of native species within a month, after accepting his apology in a criminal contempt case.

During the hearing, a division bench led by Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf passed the order in a suo motu criminal contempt petition against Rahul Sahu.

"Keeping in view the conduct, we direct that respondent (Sahu) shall plant 50 trees of indigenous species in the area of Sambalgarh in Morena district. The trees shall be of indigenous nature of at least height of 4 feet," it said.

"The trees shall be planted under the direction of Sub Divisional Officer (Forest), Sambalgarh. The trees will be planted within a period of one month," it said.

The High Court initiated suo motu action following a contempt reference received from the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Sambalgarh.

"The respondent is present in person. He (Sahu) has filed his affidavit dated October 15, 2024 and has contended that he is a semi-literate person and has studied only up to Class 10," the court order said.

"He submits that he does not have formal legal education and has limited knowledge of legal procedure and is unfamiliar with the decorum and requirement of court proceeding," it said.

The High Court initiated suo motu action following a contempt reference received from the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Sambalgarh.

"He has volunteered to undertake social service," the court said.

The area where the trees shall be planted would be decided by the Sub Divisional Officer (Forest), Sambalgarh, it added.

"The respondent complying with the direction, the proceedings shall stand closed," the court order said.

Sahu posted a photograph of the court in Morena along with a comment on a social media platform regarding court proceedings, while a family case filed by his wife was being heard, his advocate Ashish Singh Jadoun told media.

The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) took cognizance of the post and issued a notice to Sahu, but he failed to respond despite being given an opportunity. Subsequently, the JMFC referred the matter to the High Court, the counsel added.