Cuttack: The justice system saw a green upgrade as the Orissa High Court recently made planting saplings a key condition while granting bail to eight persons arrested for possession of marijuana (2 kg to 36 kg) and nine others jailed for other offences.
Each of them were asked to plant 50 to 100 saplings in and around their villages and care for them over two years. Besides NDPS Act, the ‘plantation time’ condition was imposed in armed robbery, selling illicit liquor, theft, cheating, kidnapping, attempted rape and sexually exploiting a woman on the pretext of marriage cases.
“The petitioner shall plant 50/100 saplings of local variety like mango, neem, tamarind, etc., around his village over the government land/community land/private land, if it is in the possession of the petitioner or his family members,” the vacation bench of Justice S K Panigrahi said on October 6.
The orders, uploaded on Wednesday, added that there was “no requirement of keeping them inside”. All those granted bail have been in custody since their respective arrest dates between March and September 2025. They also have been directed to submit an affidavit to local police confirming the plantation and assuring to maintain the saplings for two years. The district nursery and divisional forest officers (DFOs) have been asked to provide saplings to the petitioners.
Local police stations, in coordination with forest officers, will monitor compliance.