Supreme Court issues interim stay on tree felling in Kancha Gachibowli, Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The Supreme Court issued an interim order on Thursday, April 3, 2025, halting the tree felling in the Kancha Gachibowli forest area near the University of Hyderabad campus in Telangana. A bench comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih passed the order after Senior Advocate K. Paremeshwar, the amicus curiae in ongoing forest cases, raised concerns about the deforestation in the area.

According to a LiveLaw news report, the court directed the Registrar of the Telangana High Court to inspect the site and submit a report by 3:30 p.m. the same day. The Chief Secretary of Telangana was instructed to ensure that no further tree felling takes place until further notice. The court is scheduled to reconvene at 3:45 p.m. to hear the matter.

The bench noted that news reports had highlighted large-scale deforestation in the Kancha Gachibowli forest, with numerous trees being felled. It was also reported that authorities might be accelerating the process over the long weekend. The area is home to eight species of scheduled animals.

Senior Advocate Dr. AM Singhvi, representing the State of Telangana, informed the bench that the Telangana High Court is also considering the issue. The High Court had earlier issued a status quo order on April 2, halting tree felling in the area until today.

Earlier, on April 2, 2025, in a temporary relief to protesting students at the University of Hyderabad, the Telangana High Court directed the state government to halt activities on a 400-acre land parcel in Kancha Gachibowli, Serilingampally Mandal, until 2 p.m. on April 3, 2025.

The High Court heard two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed against the clearing of green cover in the area. The petitioners argued that the allocation of the land to the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) violated the Forest Conservation Act. They also called for the site to be declared a national park under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The PILs were filed by Kalapala Babu Rao, a retired scientist, and Uday Krishna, an environmentalist and founder of the Vata Foundation. Senior counsels L. Ravi Chandra and S. Niranjan Reddy represented the petitioners.

In addition, the Union Ministry of Environment has sought an official report from the Telangana government regarding the alleged illegal clearing of green cover in the biodiversity-sensitive area. The ministry has directed the state's additional chief secretary for forests to take necessary legal action.

Earlier in the day, a protest rally organized by students and faculty at the University of Hyderabad was interrupted by the police, to disperse the demonstrators. The students had been protesting the government's plan to develop the 400-acre land near the campus, chanting slogans such as “Police go back,” “Ladenge, Jeetenge,” and “Awaaz Do, Hum Ek Hain.”