IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATES OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH CWP No.5810 of 2009 Date of decision: April 20, 2009. Smt. Sita Devi ...Petitioner(s) v. State of Haryana & Ors. ...Respondent(s) CORAM:HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SURYA KANT 1. Whether Reporters of local papers may be allowed to see the judgment ? 2. Whether to be referred to the Reporters or not ? 3. Whether the judgment should be reported in the Digest? Present: Shri U.K. Agnihotri, Advocate, for the petitioner(s). ORDER Surya Kant, J. - Notice of motion. Shri Ravi Dutt Sharma, learned Sr. Deputy Advocate General, Haryana, accepts notice on behalf of the respondents. In view of the nature of order which I propose to pass, there is no necessity to seek any reply from the respondents. The petitioner seeks compensation on account of the death of her husband (Hawa Singh) allegedly due to negligence of the authorities of the Forest Department in the Jind Forest Division. The petitioner's case is that on 28.5.2008, her husband was standing at the bus stand of village Jamni, Tehsil and District Jind along with his brother when suddenly a dry and dead Kikar tree owned by the Forest Department fell down on her husband causing multiple injuries which led to his instant death. The petitioner served the respondent-authorities with a legal notice dated 25.8.2008 which has been responded to by the Divisional Forest Officer, Jind. Suffice to say that the reply is quite evasive and vague and does not enlighten as to whether or not the dead, dry and fallen trees, the list of which was prepared on 17.4.2008 and was approved by the Conservator of Forests, West Circle, Hissar on 28.4.2008 included the tree in question and if so, then how it again fell down on 28.5.2008? In these circumstances, a fact-finding inquiry by an officer who should be fairly senior to the Divisional Forest Officer at Jind is required to be held. Consequently, this writ petition is disposed of with a direction to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Haryana to depute an officer not below the rank of Conservator of Forests to hold a fact-finding inquiry and if it is found that the petitioner's husband died on account of the injuries received by him due to falling of a dead kikar tree owned by the Forest Department, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests shall also determine the quantum of compensation to which the petitioner might be entitled. The needful shall be done within a period of three months from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order. Dasti. April 20, 2009. [ Surya Kant ] kadyan Judge