The NGT (NGT) on April 2 stayed an Assam government order to deploy around 1,600 personnel of the Assam Forest Protection Force for election duties ahead of the April 9 Assembly polls, citing concerns over biodiversity protection and forest vigilance.
Hearing a petition challenging the move, the tribunal’s eastern zone bench in Kolkata, comprising Judicial Member Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Ishwar Singh, issued notice to the Centre and sought responses from relevant authorities.
The plea argued that diverting forest personnel for poll-related work would adversely affect conservation efforts at a time when ecological monitoring remains critical. It contended that the state’s forest staff are already overstretched, and their redeployment could leave sensitive areas exposed to poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and timber felling.
The petition further alleged that authorities had failed to discharge statutory obligations under the Biological Diversity Act and related environmental frameworks.
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Taking note, the tribunal observed that, prima facie, the issue raises “substantial questions” regarding compliance with environmental norms and the functioning of institutions, including the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Assam government, and biodiversity bodies.
In its order, the NGT emphasised its mandate to apply the precautionary principle and uphold provisions of the Biological Diversity Act and its associated guidelines. The bench underlined concerns over the protection and monitoring of biologically rich areas, warning that any weakening of field-level enforcement could heighten risks of illegal activities, including wildlife trade and forest degradation.
Invoking powers under the NGT Act, the tribunal directed Assam’s special chief secretary of the environment and forest department to justify the decision in light of statutory obligations.
It stayed the operation of the March 19 order until further directions, effectively halting, for now, the deployment of forest personnel for election-related duties in the state.
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