Cutting a large number of trees is worse than killing human beings, the Supreme Court has said, while fining a man Rs 1 lakh for each illegally cut tree.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan made the observation while rejecting the plea of a man who had chopped down 454 trees in the protected Taj Trapezium Zone.

“There should be no mercy in environmental case. Felling a large number of trees is worse than killing a human,” the bench said.

The top court said it will take at least 100 years minimum to again regenerate or recreate the green cover created by 454 trees which were blatantly cut without permission.

The top court accepted the report of the central empowered committee (CEC), which recommended a fine of Rs 1 lakh per tree for cutting 454 trees in Dalmia Farms in Mathura-Vrindavan by one Shiv Shankar Agarwal.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Agarwal, submitted that he has admitted the mistake but the court refused to reduce the fine amount. The court said Agarwal should be allowed to do plantations at a nearby site and said the contempt plea filed against him will be disposed only after compliance.

The top court also recalled its 2019 order which had removed the requirement of obtaining prior permission to cut trees on non-forest and private lands within the Taj Trapezium Zone.

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