MIRPUR (Kashmir English): A local Mirpur court arrested the accused for causing damage to the forests and transferred him to the Central Jail Mirpur for 10 days.
As per the details, the Court of Forest Magistrate arrested the accused Shafiq, resident of Kotli district’s Charhoi Tehsil, under Section 6 of the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Regulation Amendment Act 2017 for cutting green trees and other environmental degradations.
The Court of Forest Magistrate had various cases pending against the accused, in which he had sentenced to a fine of Rs. 114,000 for forest damage. However, the accused continuously refused to pay the fine, for which he was declared a proclaimed offender.
The accused was arrested on Sunday and was sent to the Central Jail Mirpur under judicial custody for 10 days.
Environmental experts and representatives of civil society welcomed the arrest of the accused and called it an important step towards forest protection.
They said that strict legal action should be taken against those who cut down forests to save the ecological balance.
