High Court asks man to plant 50 trees, agrees to close electricity theft case
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed a man to plant 50 trees as community service while agreeing to close criminal proceedings against him in a power theft case.
The court said trees shall be planted within a month and asked him to report to the Deputy Conservator of Forest (West), who shall assign him the duty to plant 50 trees in Central Ridge Reserve Forest, Budha Jayanti Park, Vandemataram Marg here.
"The plants/trees shall be of deciduous indigenous variety with a nursery age of three and a half years, and a height of at least six feet. Depending upon the soil type and topography, the DCF may consider the following types of trees for plantation...," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said.
The type of trees mentioned in the order are Gular (Cluster Fig), Kadamba (Burflower Tree), Pilkhan (White Fig), Jaamun (Black Plum), Bargad (Banyan Tree), Mango, Amaltas (Golden Shower), Mahua (Butter Tree) , Putranjiva, Badh, Sagwan (Teak Wood), Safed Siris (Albizia Procera), Kala Siris, Anjeer, Kathal- Jackfruit, Palash, Arni, Bistendu, Rohida, Medshingi.
The court asked the man and DCF to file an affidavit of compliance of its order, failing which the registry shall list the case for directions.
It said aerial pictures, prior to and after the plantation, shall be obtained by the DCF and be filed along with his affidavit.
The officer will have to monitor and ensure upkeep of the plantation and he will file a report six weeks after the plantation with fresh photographs to show the health/status of the trees.
The court, which said a copy of the order be communicated to the DCF (West) concerned, passed the order on a man's plea challenging framing of charges against him for the offence of electricity theft.
The electricity department had lodged a complaint that theft of electricity was found in the premises of the man, whereby a wire was connected directly to the public pole outside his shop.
The high court set aside the trial court's order framing charges against the man and discharged him of the offence under the Electricity Act.
Keeping in view the facts and circumstances and also the fact that the parties have settled their disputes, the court said this was a fit case for putting an end to the proceedings as no fruitful purpose would be served in continuation of the proceedings.
The man had claimed that he had given the shop on rent and on account of non-payment of rent the services to the tenant, that is, electricity supply were got disconnected and the illegal work was done by the tenant without his consent and knowledge.
Proceedings were initiated against the tenant and he was convicted and had to pay the civil liability amount. Proceedings were also initiated against the man on the allegation that the wire was connected with his consent and knowledge.
The matter was settled between the man and the electricity department in mediation and he had agreed to pay the settlement amount of Rs 18,267.
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Women''s Bill: Stalin says proposal amid polls raises suspicion; backs 33 per cent reservation
Chennai (PTI): Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday alleged that the proposed amendment to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in the midst of polls in states including Tamil Nadu appeared to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives.
Stalin alleged the timing for the proposed amendment led to serious suspicion.
"Why push such a far-reaching decision in the middle of state elections. This appears to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives, much like earlier attempts to influence women voters ahead of the 2024 Parliament elections," he alleged in a statement titled "This is not reform, this is reengineering power."
Further, he said: "Let me be unequivocal: we strongly support 33 per cent reservation for women. Our support is absolute. But it must be implemented without increasing seats and without punishing states that acted responsibly. If the intent is genuine, nothing prevents immediate implementation within the existing framework."
Demanding fair delimitation, he alleged there was complete opacity on the basis for delimitation and asked would the exercise rely on 1971 figures from a pre–population control era or the 2021 Census. "Conflicting signals and vague assurances only deepen suspicion." This move would also impose a massive financial burden on states, forcing them to expand or rebuild Legislative Assemblies, all without proper consultation.
"This is a direct assault on cooperative federalism. This is not reform, it is a unilateral, politically driven exercise designed to concentrate power, weaken Parliament, marginalise the South, and undermine social justice," he alleged. "The nation deserves answers: why this undue haste, why shift the goalposts, and who truly stands to benefit."
The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is systematically eroding the very foundations of Parliament, he alleged.
The Dravidian party chief claimed: "What should be a vibrant forum for debate and accountability is being reduced to a hollow ritual, a stage where members may not even get fair time to speak or represent their people. This proposal to increase seats is a direct contradiction of their own slogan of minimum government, maximum governance. It will only inflate expenditure, burden taxpayers, and dilute the quality of parliamentary functioning."
This also went against the spirit of Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines India as a Union of States. Ignoring the voices of states and bypassing meaningful consultation is not democratic - it is unitary overreach that undermines the country's federal and plural character.
More alarmingly, this exercise will blatantly skew representation and tilt the balance of power in favour of northern states dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party, while silencing the voice of south India, he claimed.
"As forcefully pointed out by veteran leader Siddaramaiah (Karnataka CM), this is not a neutral exercise; it is a calculated political restructuring. Northern states stand to gain nearly double the (Parliamentary) seats, while the South’s share stagnates at around 24 per cent. This is nothing short of penalising states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Keralam and Telangana for their success in population control."
Chief Ministers across the South, including Siddaramaiah, Pinarayi Vijayan and A Revanth Reddy have rightly warned that this move will distort federalism and concentrate power in a few regions, the DMK president alleged.
PM Modi said on Thursday that the proposed amendments to the Women Reservation Act are not just a legislative exercise but a reflection of the aspirations of crores of women across India and urged all MPs to come together to support this significant move.
He had last week announced an extension of the Budget session of Parliament by three days, from April 16 to 18, so that the Women's Reservation Act can be amended for its implementation from 2029.
