Overview

• The bench led by Chief Justice B. R. Gavai noted prima facie signs of tree felling upstream and sent notices to the Centre, NDMA, MoEF&CC, Jal Shakti, NHAI, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.
• Recent clips show masses of logs in Himachal’s Pandoh/Pong reservoirs and the Ravi near Chamba’s Sheetla bridge, with additional footage reported from the Chenab in J&K.
• Himachal forest officers maintain the wood is uprooted or dead trees swept downstream by cloudbursts and landslides, with releases from dams carrying debris into rivers.
• A preliminary forest department probe in July ruled out illegal felling in the Beas catchment, but a CID investigation ordered by the chief minister remains pending.
• Environmentalists welcomed the court’s step and urged sustainable development policies for fragile Himalayan zones, as a state minister pressed forest officers to step up field checks.