Paving the way for the ecological rejuvenation of the national capital's vital green lungs, the Supreme Court of India has formally permitted the Delhi Forest Department to remove approximately 13,000 invasive, non-native trees from the Central Ridge. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana ruled that the removal must strictly conform to the approved Delhi Eco-Restoration Plan 2026-30. To safeguard regional environmental integrity, the apex court ordered the Delhi Ridge Management Board to closely supervise the entire phased eradication and replanting operation across designated forest parcels.

High Court Contempt Proceedings Stayed as Apex Court Backs Indigenous Afforestation

The Supreme Court bench granted immediate relief to forest authorities by staying contempt proceedings initiated by the Delhi High Court over alleged non-compliance with prior judicial directives that prohibited tree felling, construction, excavation, and clearing activities in the protected ridge belt. The High Court’s contempt scrutiny had been triggered on August 20 by a petition from Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Sarvadaman Singh Oberoi, managing trustee of the Aravalli Bachao Citizens Movement. Overturning the stay on field operations, the apex court validated the Forest Department's scientific contention that aggressive exotic species, notably invasive Vilayati Kikar (Prosopis juliflora), non-native Babul (Vachellia nilotica), and water-depleting Eucalyptus, have suffocated local biodiversity and severely depleted regional groundwater tables.

Reviving the Aravalli Canopy: Massive Plantation Drive for Peepal, Neem, and Banyan

Under the supervised restoration mandate, the targeted removal of exotic foliage will directly enable the systematic reintroduction of native flora endemic to the Aravalli hill ecosystem. The department's ecological roadmap prioritizes the large-scale plantation of resilient indigenous trees, including Neem, Banyan, Peepal, Jamun, and Amaltas, which enhance local soil nutrition, support native bird populations, and restore Delhi's historic urban wilderness canopy. Forest officials noted that replacing deep-root invasive varieties with native trees will bolster the capital's natural carbon sinks and re-establish a self-sustaining biodiversity corridor across the Central Ridge without compromising total forested acreage.