HC Asks Man Held For Theft To Plant ‘200 Saplings’ As Bail Condition In Odisha

Cuttack: In courtroom proceedings that merged justice with environmental cause, Orissa High Court’s single judge bench of Justice SK Panigrahi granted bail to a man in a theft case on the condition that he will plant 200 saplings around his village and maintain those for two years.

Manas Ati was arrested in connection with the theft of six electric poles connecting power lines from Pokhrasale to Khondokata in Jharsuguda district, and had been in custody since December 25 last year with the case pending before the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM), Jharsuguda.

He filed his bail application in HC on Jan 15. “The petitioner shall plant 200 saplings of local varieties like mango, neem, tamarind, etc., around his village (under Kolabira police station limits) over government land/community land/private land,” Justice Panigrahi said while disposing of Ati’s bail plea on Thursday.

The court also directed district nursery/DFO has been ordered to supply the saplings to Ati and the revenue officials will help in identifying the land for plantation. The local police station IIC in coordination with the local forest official shall monitor if the petitioner has planted the saplings or not.