The Gauhati High Court has ordered a villager in Assam to plant and take care of 25 trees as punishment for poisoning as many vultures to death three months ago.

The State Forest Department had filed a case against Dhanpati Das of Kamalpur, about 40 km north of Guwahati, for lacing a goat carcass with pesticide that killed the 25 rare vultures.

Initial reaction

On April 4, the High Court granted him bail after he had spent 28 days in custody under Section 429 (mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming animals or rendering them useless) of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 51(a) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

Hearing the case a month later, the court made an ecological statement by asking him to plant saplings and nurture them. The man, though, said he did not poison the carcass in the first place.

Green activists welcomed the judgment. “The man could have been sentenced to six months in prison. But this form of punishment should have a positive impact on the person and make him contribute to nature,” Bibhab Talukdar of NGO Aaranyak said.

Tree per citizen

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Saturday announced on social media the launch of the One Citizen One Tree campaign ahead of the World Environment Day for re-greening the State affected by unregulated coal and limestone mining.

“With the State fast losing its forest cover, the campaign aims at people’s involvement in planting more trees. All districts will be covered in the mass plantation drive wherein all indigenous plants raised by the communities across the State will be provided to citizens who want to participate in the campaign,” a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.