Court Laxes Order on Tree Felling, Demands Data on Panjab Shootings

The Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) directed the Panjab government to not proceed with the issuance of election notifications for nine municipal corporations (MCs) and more than 100 municipal councils and municipal committees in the state. PHHC said until the state government filed its response to petitions challenging ward delimitation, the election process for all these local bodies cannot proceed. Meanwhile, relaxing its earlier notification on tree felling in Panjab, the PHHC allowed a limited felling of heritage trees for three traffic rotaries in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar. At the same time, it restrained a developer from cutting 41 fully grown trees standing along the boundary of a proposed mall site in SAS Nagar. The court also called for stringent compensatory plantation obligations. However, despite the PHHC order, the khair (cutch) tree felling count rose to 2,000 in the past week and 20 heritage trees were axed in Jalandhar. A Jalandhar-based environmental activist has filed complaints against the managing committee of a Gurdwara and the owner of an under-construction commercial building for illegal cutting and selling of trees. In a suo motu case, the PHHC directed the Director General of Police (DGP), Panjab, to place on record a detailed affidavit on shooting incidents reported since 2023, including those captured on CCTV cameras and mobile phones, the arrests made so far, and the steps taken to nab the accused still at large. PHHC has asked for the money trail of extortion proceeds and the steps taken to curb the glorification of crime on social media. Meanwhile, Lucky Oberoi, a leader of Panjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party was shot dead outside a Gurdwara in Jalandhar by unidentified assailants on 6 Feb. He was rushed to a hospital in an unconscious state and succumbed to his bullet injuries. The brazen murder has triggered panic amongst the residents of the city. Additionally, the Panjab government launched a 72-hour statewide special operation titled Operation Prahar (strike) 2, aimed at arresting wanted criminals and gangsters. DGP Panjab Gaurav Yadav announced the operation after a high-level review meeting with senior officials. The special operation is from 9–11 Feb (earlier coverage).