HC gives bail to 2 on promise of planting 300 saplings

COURT TELLS THE TW0 ACCUSED TO PLANT SAPLINGS OF MUSKET—A MEDICINAL PLANT

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday gave bail to two persons accused of cutting 200 plants of musket, a medicinal plant, after making them promise that they would plant 300 saplings.

The high court acted on the petitions of Devender Bhadana of Faridabad and Hari Bhati of Meerut, UP, who had approached court seeking protection fearing arrest by police. They are accused of cutting 200 plants of musket in Surajkund area of Faridabad, in November 2017. The FIR, registered on November 21, was lodged on the complaint of Faridabad unit of state forest department.

Seeking interim protection from arrest, they had told court that they would plant 300 saplings of same or similar varieties of the plant in the area where it was alleged that they had cut down 200 plants. They had also undertaken that the new plantation would be maintained on their expenses for two years by forest department and they would have no claim on these grown up Musket plants at later stage.

The vacation bench of justice MS Sindhu directed them to join investigation and directed the police to grant them bail immediately after arrest after they furnish adequate bail and surety bonds. “…It is clarified that in case the undertaking (of planting saplings) is not honoured by the petitioners, the interim protection (against arrest) shall stand declined,” the court said in its order. The court also asked them to join investigation as and when asked for by investigating officer, not to make any inducement, threat to any person associated with the case and not to leave the country without court’s permission.