NEW DELHI: Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court defending his conduct in the case concerning the large-scale felling of trees in the Delhi Ridge forest area.
“He is not made aware of the requirement to obtain permission from the top court before felling of trees in the South Delhi Ridge forest area. It was only after the incident of illegal felling of trees that happened, he get to know,” his affidavit said.
Saxena said that it was only after the incident of illegal felling of trees that happened from February 16 to 26, that he was informed in letter by the DDA Vice Chairman on June 10 about the said development.
He said in February he had visited the site of a road widening project to ease access to the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS), when he was told that permission for felling trees is awaited from competent authority.
The affidavit filed by LG, Saxena, said that he had called for the communication of such approval to be expedited, but did not realise that the apex court’s permission was also required.
The Supreme Court had on October 16 asked the LG, who also holds the office of the DDA chairperson, to file his personal affidavit by October 22, in connection with the issue of alleged felling of trees in the Delhi Ridge area, without the permission of the court.
A three-judge bench of the top court, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, asked the LG to make the detail reply and information in his affidavit, as to if any disciplinary proceedings and or criminal action were initiated against the erring persons in the case.