In a fresh trouble for rocking star Yash's upcoming film 'Toxic', the Karnataka Forest Department has registered an FIR against its producers, KVN Productions, Monster Mind Creations and others.
The FIR was registered after Karnataka Minister for Forest, Ecology, and Environment, Eshwar Khandre raised serious concerns over the illegal cutting of trees for the shoot of the Yash-starrer Toxic in the forest land in Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) area in Bengaluru.
The movie faced a legal issue in July when the Karnataka High Court issued a notice to KVN Film Production Company, its producers, over the illegal construction of the set for the film on the government land. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed by advocate Balaji Naidu G, claiming that the high-budget film’s set was built on approximately 20 acres of land on the outskirts of Bengaluru, which is classified as forest land. The PIL argued that this construction was carried out without necessary permissions or authoristion.
The fresh FIR on tree cutting has been registered under section 24 (g) of the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963 on the basis that the makers of Toxic have illegally cut trees on forest land in the Peenya plantation survey number 2 for the purpose of erecting sets for the film shooting.
The Section 24 talks about acts of prohibitions in reserved forest. Further Sec 24 (g) reads that any person who clears or breaks up any land for cultivation or any other purpose.
Furthermore, Minister Khandre highlighted that 599 acres of the Peenya-Jalahalli region had been declared reserve forest through a gazette notification.
Citing a Supreme Court ruling that “once a forest, always a forest unless de-notified,” Khandre emphasised that the area remains protected under forest law, despite its current use by HMT.
Along with the producers of the movie, the forest department has also registered FIR against the General Manager of Canara Bank, Bengaluru and General Manager of HMT Limited, Bengaluru.
The Karnataka minister Eshwar Khandre, recently took to his social media stating hundreds of trees had been felled for the filming of Toxic, an act clearly visible from satellite images. Following his inspection of the site, he had shared, “I have instructed immediate strict legal action against those responsible for this illegal act."
Emphasising the importance of forest preservation, the Karnataka minister added, “Protection of our forest and environment is a major responsibility of all of us. If illegal activities are found in forest land, I am committed to take strict action against them."
Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic with the tagline ‘Fairytale for Grown-Ups’, stars Yash in the lead and being produced by Venkat K Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations.