Ahmedabad: In a unique twist of restorative justice, two forest guards accused of turning a blind eye to illegal logging will now have to grow the very forest they were charged with failing to protect. Gujarat High Court on Monday granted bail to Kalpesh Dabhi and Karshan Gohil, ordering the duo to plant and maintain 1,700 trees at their own expense over the next three years.Along with other bail conditions, Justice H D Suthar thought it fit to release Dabhi and Gohil upon the assurance that they would compensate for the environmental damage caused in Rajasthali beat of the Palitana forest range, Bhavnagar district. They were arrested along with a contractor in June under the Indian Forest Act and the Wildlife (Protection) Act after the contractor illegally cut and uprooted 1,690 trees in the forest. The guards were accused of letting him carry on with the activity.The contractor was earlier released on bail by HC after Rs 3.6 lakh was recovered from him. The guards, while seeking bail, submitted before the court that they were ready to plant trees “to show remorse”, if the forest department allowed them to do so.HC considered the gravity of the offence and the punishment it entailed, and said that “the case was triable by a judicial magistrate” and might take time.While allowing their bail application, HC asked them to submit an undertaking before the trial court that each of them “shall have to plant 850 trees (forestry species), at his own expense, in Rajasthali beat or reserved forest area as indicated or demarcated by Palitana Territorial Range (Bhavnagar Division) within a period of 15 days from his actual release”.Moreover, HC has ordered them to maintain the trees/plants for a period of three years from the date of plantation at their own cost. “The aforesaid plantation activity shall be carried out under the supervision of the range forest officer, Palitana Range and supervised by the deputy conservator of forest, Bhavnagar Division,” the court orders read.HC directed the concerned officers to submit periodic progress reports before the trial court. “In case of any breach of condition qua plantation of such forestry species, it will lead to cancellation of bail of the applicant,” HC said.
