The Delhi Forest department has told the Supreme Court that “fake permission” was issued in the name of the office of the Deputy Conservator of Forests or the Tree Officer (West Division) to fell trees in a “morphological ridge” land – an ecologically sensitive zone — in Vasant Kunj for a housing project.This came to light in a July 10 counter affidavit filed before the SC by the Department of Forests and Wildlife’s Deputy Conservator of Forests/Tree Officer (West Division) in response to a plea seeking contempt of court proceedings against it for felling trees and levelling a piece of land in Vasant Kunj for the project.The plea filed by environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari, through advocate Manan Verma, contended that said land is a morphological ridge, which is protected by the SC’s May 9, 1996 order, and as such would require the court’s prior permission before any diversion can be made.“That to the best of the petitioner’s knowledge, no permission has been sought from this hon’ble court before undertaking the said contemptuous activities… It is also evident that the officials of the Forest department, GNCTD, and the Ridge Management Board took no action to prevent the said activity or stop the same,” the plea said.Responding to this, the counter affidavit filed by the Tree Officer (West Division) said the land on which the alleged construction activities were being carried out falls in the South Forest Division. “It is pertinent to mention that it had come to attention… that a fake permission was issued for tree felling in the name of the office of Deputy Conservator of Forests/Tree Officer West Forest Division, which was found issued to the owner of the plot…,” it added.It further said that the West Division official “had written to the Vasant Kunj police station SHO to take cognisance of the issue and register an FIR under Section 173 of Bharatiya Nagarik Surkasha Sahinta”. The affidavit added that a reply was received on February 17 from the SHO, “through Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI)… that the alleged forged permission is illegible”.The affidavit added, “…it is also informed by the ASI that the location cannot be found.”Story continues below this adDuring questioning, the plot owner “refused the allegation regarding forged permission for felling/damaging of trees”, the department said.“The ASI has requested the original copy of the forged permission to process the matter further; otherwise, the complaint shall be closed,” it added.“It is pertinent to mention that in response to the report of the ASI, a letter has been issued to the SHO… on 13.03.2025… stating that the earlier provided copy of the forged permission/documents is the only copy which is available in this office,” the department said.The court will hear the matter next on July 21.Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 23 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with The Indian Express, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:The Supreme Court of Indiatree felling