Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 12: Division Bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Hasnain Massodi today took cognizance of reports published in the Daily Excelsior highlighting encroachment of 1000 kanal of forest land at Jasrota and sought status report from the Government.
When Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Harbhajan Singh and others seeking conservation, preservation and protection of water bodies and seasonal nullahs after setting the natural resources free from the land grabbers, forest mafia and criminals having patronage of bureaucrats and politicians came up for hearing, Advocate Rajinder Jamwal appearing for the petitioners drew the attention of the Division Bench towards reports published in Daily Excelsior highlighting latest encroachment of 1000 kanal of forest land at Jasrota by land mafia.
Taking cognizance of the reports, Division Bench expressed strong resentment/anguish over the encroachment of forest land in the State and directed Additional Advocate General H A Siddiqui to file a status report with regard to the encroachment made on the forest land in district Kathua.
The Division Bench granted two weeks time to the State for filling status report and also for filing objections to the main PIL.