Madras High Court stops felling of rosewood trees on private lands
The Madras High Court has issued an interim stay on the felling of rosewood trees on private lands following a challenge to the government's decision to repeal conservation laws. The court questioned the logic behind removing protections for a rare, endemic species.
Why it matters
The ruling highlights the tension between private land rights and environmental conservation efforts regarding endangered species.
The Madras High Court has ordered that the State authorities should not grant permission for the felling or removal of rosewood trees on private lands until a writ petition challenging the repeal of the Tamil Nadu Rosewood Trees (Conservation) Act, 1994, and the Tamil Nadu Rosewood Trees (Conservation) Rules, 1995, is disposed of.
In an order dated August 14, 2026, Justice N. Sathish Kumar and Justice K. Rajasekar said the reasons for recommending the repeal of the Tamil Nadu Rosewood Trees (Conservation) Act, 1994, defied logic, as the original Act itself indicated that rosewood was a rare species endemic to southern India and almost impossible to regenerate except by natural growth.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in