IN THE HIGH COURT OF UTTARANCHAL AT NAINITAL P.I.L. Writ Petition No. 563 of 2001 (M/B) Registrar, Uttaranchal High Court ….Petitioner Versus State of Uttaranchal and others …Respondents. Mr. Manoj Tiwari, Amicus Curiae for the petitioner Mr. N.C. Gupta, Standing Counsel for the State of Uttaranchal. Coram: Hon’ble Rajeev Gupta, C.J. Hon’ble M.M. Ghildiyal, J. RAJEEV GUPTA, C.J. (Oral) Mr. Manoj Tiwari, Amicus Curiae. Mr. N.C. Gupta, Standing Counsel for the State of Uttaranchal. 2. This petition came to be registered on the basis of a news item dated 10.04.2001 published in the Hindustan Times with the caption “Illegal timber trade acquires serious dimension”. 3. Counter affidavit was filed by the Chief Conservator of Forests, Uttaranchal on 23.04.2001. Supplementary counter affidavits were also filed by the Chief Conservator of Forests on 13.05.2001 and 10.06.2001. Sri Satrughan Singh, the then Secretary of Forests, Uttaranchal at Dehradun has also filed his affidavit on 22.05.2001. 4. From the counter affidavits filed by the Secretary of Forests and the Chief Conservator of Forests, it is apparent that the Government is fully aware of the menace of illicit felling of trees and encroachment on the forest land. In these counter affidavits, steps taken by the authorites to prevent the illicit felling of the trees and to remove the encroachment on the forest land have been spelt out. 5. In view of the steps already taken and proposed to be taken by the authorities to prevent the illicit felling of trees and to remove encroachment on the forest land, we are of the opinion that no further directions in the petition and further monitoring of the matter, now, are necessary. 6. The writ petition, therefore, is closed. (M.M. Ghildiyal, J.) (Rajeev Gupta, C.J.) 29.03.2006 29.03.2006 A