New Delhi, June 29: Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal on Friday directed greening agencies in the city to plant more native and fruit-bearing species wherever feasible and also to explore the possibility of creating a vibrant city forest with diverse flora and fauna.

Baijal was reviewing the preparedness of all greening agencies for achieving the plantation targets for this year.

He directed the agencies concerned to complete plantation drive by September 30, said a statement from the Raj Niwas.

Baijal advised to lay down uniform norms for the type of plantation that would be suitable for Delhi, so that all agencies can follow the same.

He also advised that emphasis should be given on planting native and fruit-bearing species and everybody should plant and adopt trees.

He suggested to explore the possibility of creating a vibrant city forest with diverse flora and fauna.

This year, the proposed target of the tree and shrub saplings for all greening agencies in Delhi is about 28 lakh.

Baijal directed that a test audit of the plantations should be done by a third-party, so as to check the survival of the saplings already planted.

The plantation drive will start from July 8.

The meeting was attended by Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain, DDA Principal Commissioner, NDMC Chairperson and Secretary-Environment & Forests.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.

Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.

On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.

Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”

Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”

Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.

In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.

The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.

Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.

Get all the latest, breaking news from Karnataka in a single click. CLICK HERE to get all the latest news from Karnataka.