Karnataka High Court restrains cutting of trees in Jnanabharathi campus

Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court on Friday passed a restraint order, prohibiting cutting of trees in the bio-park situated inside Jnanabharathi campus of Bangalore University.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha also sought details of the trees already cut and relocated.

The bench was hearing the PIL filed by Swayam Jagruti Seva Trust and Parvathi Sriram, a resident of Bengaluru.

The petitioners claim that the campus faces imminent ecological threat due to large-scale diversion of its forest lands for multiple construction projects, including the PM-USHA Project, Ambedkar Theme Park, UVCE new campus proposal, and buildings for external institutions such as the Council of Architecture. On November 21, the bench had ordered notice in the petition.

During the hearing on Friday, the advocate for the petitioners submitted that certain trees have been translocated in the campus. It was further submitted that one of the respondent authorities has even issued a public notice for cutting 350 trees.

The division bench orally observed that while nothing can be done as far as the trees already cut and relocated, and directed the authorities, around 40 respondents, including the Bangalore University, Greater Bengaluru Authority, the state government and others, not to cut any trees.

The petition stated that Bangalore University has sought permission to cut trees in the BR-2 area measuring about 6.5 acres to implement the PM-USHA Project, funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC). This action threatens an ecologically evolved area that cannot be naturally regenerated once destroyed, the petitioners stated.

According to the petitioners, despite deliberations by the Karnataka Biodiversity Board, which held a special meeting on June 26, 2025, and recommended that the Jnanabharathi Campus be declared a Biodiversity Heritage Site, no further steps have been taken to issue a formal notification.