The Supreme Court on Friday issued civil contempt notices to officials of the Uttar Pradesh government for their involvement in the illegal felling of 454 trees along Vrindavan Road in Mathura.

A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih emphasized that such actions were clearly illegal.

"The latest CEC report discloses a shocking state of affairs. It records that 454 trees were illegally felled on the night of 18th and 19th September 2024...From the report, it appears that this blatantly illegal action of felling as many as 454 trees have been taken by persons named in report in violation of orders of this court. Prima facie, we are of the view that the persons mentioned in the report are guilty of civil contempt. Hence we issue notice to them, returnable on 16th December, calling upon them to show cause as to why action under the Contempt of Courts Act should not be initiated against them."

The Bench ordered that no further tree felling or construction activities be allowed at the site, and that the timber already felled illegally be dealt with as per the law. The Registry was instructed to send the contempt notices to the Mathura Superintendent of Police, who was directed to instruct the local station house officer to visit the site and ensure compliance with the order.

"We make it clear that whenever permissions are granted by this court for felling of trees, such activities shall not be carried out between 6pm-8am," it added.

The Bench was hearing a series of cases related to tree felling in and around the land designated as the 'Taj Trapezium Zone' in Uttar Pradesh.