The Rajasthan High Court has imposed an interim stay on the cutting of trees in the sacred forest grove along the Baiya village in the Fatehgarh region of Jaisalmer district.
A division bench comprising Justices Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Sandeep Shah, while imposing the stay order, held that not even a single tree could be cut in the 2,587-bigha forest grove until further orders of the court.
The state government and a private solar energy company have pleaded before the court that the grove in question (Revenue record Khasra No. 386) is not recorded as a sacred forest grove in the latest revenue records. Accordingly, the company was carrying out the installation of solar energy panels in compliance with all rules, afforestation requirements, and environmental norms and conditions. They added that the installation of solar plants is a futuristic need of the country.
The petitioners, Mukund Singh Bhati and others, told the court that old revenue records described the land in question as “Rohidalrai Mandir Oran”. They also pleaded that around 6,500 trees of various arid-climate species – including Khejri, Rohida, and Jaal — along with drought-resistant, high-protein Sewan grass, have been flourishing in the 2,587-bigha grove. A huge water body, “Maa Dedhsar Talaab”, is also located within the grove and serves as a dependable water hole to the cattle as well as the wildlife of the area.
The bench observed that the presence of such a large number of trees is significant in an arid zone like Jaisalmer, noting that the Supreme Court has also directed the protection of sacred forest groves in the T N Godabarman case.
After hearing the pleadings from both sides, the bench also constituted a committee of experts to study relevant revenue records, assess ground realities and related aspects, and submit its report by May 20.