In a shocking and deeply disturbing development, nearly 80 acres of dense, mature forest have been vandalised, deliberately set on fire, and systematically deforested within a matter of months.
What makes this destruction even more unacceptable is that it occurred after the Supreme Court’s May 2025 order, which explicitly directed that all forest lands diverted for non-forest use must be returned to the Forest Department and strictly safeguarded.
In what appears to be a panic-driven reaction to the recovery of 120 acres of Kadugodi Forest by the Forest Department, the Embassy Group allegedly carried out large-scale, illegal clearing of forest land that remained under its custody, in an apparent attempt to erase the forest cover before repossession.
- This is not the first time such violations have occurred.
An earlier attempt to deforest this land was foiled in 2007, when the Karnataka Forest Department registered an FIR and imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh. Tree-felling was temporarily halted thereafter. - Official records from 2006–2007 show that over 400 fully grown trees existed within just 78 acres of this forested land. This figure does not include the hundreds of smaller trees, saplings, palms, bamboo, and seedlings, all of which qualify as “trees” under the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976.
Residents and neighbouring communities confirm that this forest was home to hundreds of peacocks (India’s national bird), along with numerous other bird species and wildlife. - In 2020, the BBMP Forest Cell issued permission to fell 42 trees. This permission itself appears to have been issued with malafide intent, as the law mandates public notice and a public hearing for the felling of 50 or more trees. By limiting the permission to 42 trees, statutory safeguards were deliberately bypassed.
- Using this flawed and limited permission, hundreds of trees were illegally felled between 2022 and 2025 — without any further approvals.
- Further violations include: a) Illegal transport of timber, with no permits obtained whatsoever. b) No authorisation from any department for tree cutting beyond the original 42 trees c) Felling of protected sandalwood trees without permission
As a result:
- The GBA Forest Cell has filed an FIR against the Embassy Group for the illegal felling of 110 trees
- The Karnataka Forest Department has filed two additional FIRs — one for illegal sandalwood felling, and another for unlawful transport of timber
This represents wholesale lawlessness, blatant contempt for environmental laws, and a direct violation of Supreme Court orders.
We urge you to sign this petition and share it widely.
The destruction of Kadugodi Forest exposes how poorly protected our forests are, and how real-estate interests are exploiting regulatory failures to encroach upon precious public land.
If we do not act now, what remains of this forest — and many others like it — will be lost forever.
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