Archive · 31 Jan 2026
HC Issues Contempt Notice to Haryana Forest Secretary
The Punjab and Haryana High Court is upset because the Haryana government hasn't followed their orders to protect Morni Hills.
They told the government to make Morni Hills a special protected area called a Reserved Forest by the end of 2025.
But the government didn't do what the court asked, so the court sent a warning to the person in charge, Vasvi Tyagi.
The court wants the government to finish their work quickly and tell them about it soon.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court issued a contempt notice to Vasvi Tyagi, Haryana's Forest and Wildlife Secretary, for not following a June 2025 order.
The court ordered the expeditious demarcation and notification of Morni Hills as a Reserved Forest by December 31, 2025.
The court expressed strong displeasure over the state's failure to act more than seven months after the final directions.
The court had mandated the Forest Settlement Officer to submit a report and the state to issue a notification under the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
The contempt notice was issued in the context of the legal case CWP-469-2017 (Vijay Bansal vs State of Haryana and Others).
- Who
- Vasvi Tyagi, Secretary to the Government of Haryana, Forest and Wildlife Department
- What
- Issuance of a contempt notice by the Punjab and Haryana High Court for non-compliance with a court order
- When
- The contempt notice was issued after the court's order on June 20, 2025, and more than seven months of inaction
- Where
- Punjab and Haryana High Court, Haryana
- Why
- Alleged willful non-compliance with the court's directive to expedite the demarcation and notification of Morni Hills as a Reserved Forest
- Contemted Official
- Vasvi Tyagi, Secretary to the Government of Haryana, Forest and Wildlife Department
- Court Order Date
- June 20, 2025
- Court Mandate
- Expeditious submission of report by Forest Settlement Officer (FSO)
- Notification Deadline
- December 31, 2025
- Legal Case
- CWP-469-2017 (Vijay Bansal vs State of Haryana and Others)