Ensure complainant isn’t harassed for pursuing case against dera: NGT

After a petitioner alleged that FIRs were being registered against him for pursuing a case against Radha Soami Satsang Beas Dera for tree felling, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the “authorities concerned” to ensure that the “applicant is not harassed on account of filing this OA (original application) before the tribunal.”

During a hearing on October 17, petitioner Gaurav Sharma, a resident of Panchkula, submitted that he had appeared before the Joint Committee, set up by NGT, on July 2 in the office of DG Forest, Panchkula, and immediately thereafter, he had received phone calls from different police stations threatening registration of FIRs, and certain FIRs had also been registered.

He further added that he was being pressurised by the authorities to compromise on this matter and his life is in danger. To attend court’s proceedings, he had been provided security by Haryana Police.

On Sharma’s petition, the NGT had set up a Joint Committee, headed by retired District and Sessions Judge BM Bedi, which had revealed that Radha Soami Dera at Bir Ghaggar village in Panchkula felled forest tree species and removed those from the site. Other members of the committee included Satya Prakash Negi, Deputy Director General of Forests, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF), and Conservator of Forests, North Circle, Ambala, Jitender Ahlawat.

The MoEF diverted 40.34 hectares of forest land to the dera in 1998, and along with it, 4,322 trees of different species and 1,128 saplings were also handed over. The trees included 2,106 khair, 136 teak, 721 shisham, 199 eucalyptus and 723 kikar trees.

During a site visit on July 31, on the orders of the tribunal, the joint committee had noted that commercial tree species like teak and horticultural trees of citrus fruits and other fruits like cheeku/sapota, etc, have been raised in different gardens and patches at the dera, while the forest tree species were missing. Only a few scattered trees of native forest species could be seen here and there.

“The native forest tree species, as mentioned above, are largely missing as of date, which clearly indicates that these forest tree species have been felled and removed from the site. But the exact number of trees felled cannot be ascertained at this point in time because the diverted land has been pulverised and levelled, and further developed into gardens of different sizes. There is no old stump visible on the ground in these gardens,” said the committee’s report dated August 27.

The NGT has now asked the parties concerned to file their replies to the joint committee’s report within four weeks.

Sharma told The Tribune that when he had first written to the dera chief in November 2021 about tree felling, a case of trespass and criminal intimidation was registered against him in Panchkula in January 2022.

“After approaching the NGT, a joint committee was formed to look into my allegations. After I appeared before it on July 2, I started receiving calls from police stations about complaints against me. A case has been registered at the Cantt police station in Dehradun on July 16 for criminal intimidation by threatening to cause death or grievous hurt, for intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and for defamation. It was registered on the complaint of the Area Secretary of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Another case was registered on August 2 at the Rudrapur police station in Udham Singh Nagar for criminal intimidation and for intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace,” said Sharma.

He added that he needed permanent security as he was fearing a threat to his life, though the Haryana Police had provided temporary security.