Madhya Pradesh HC orders SHO to plant 1,000 trees for failure to serve notice to victim in time

Jabalpur, June 26 (IANS) In an unprecedented move that blends accountability with ecological restoration, the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur has directed Satna’s City Kotwali Station House Officer (SHO), Ravendra Dwivedi, to plant “at least 1,000 fruit-bearing trees” in Chitrakoot, District Satna, as a consequence of his failure to serve a court notice to a victim in due time.

The directive, issued by a division bench, comes after SHO Dwivedi tendered a “formal apology” and accepted the penalty of ₹5,000 imposed earlier by the Inspector General of Police.

In addition to paying the fine, Dwivedi has committed to completing the plantation drive between “July 1, 2025 and August 31, 2025”.

The court has specified that “fruiting varieties such as mango, jamun, mahua, and guava” be planted.

As part of the compliance process, photographs and GPS (global positioning system) coordinates of each sapling must be submitted to the High Court registry.

Moreover, the SHO is tasked with maintaining the plantation for a period of one year to ensure their healthy growth and establishment.

Importantly, the “entire cost” of this exercise will be borne by Dwivedi personally, underscoring a rare instance of direct and personal accountability within the law enforcement hierarchy.

The court has also mandated that the “Superintendent of Police (SP), Satna”, conduct an on-site inspection of the plantation and file an affidavit confirming compliance.

This affidavit must accompany the final report, which will be taken up for review during the next hearing scheduled for “September 16, 2025”.

Legal observers note that this order marks a shift toward “restorative justice” and sends a strong message about institutional responsibility in matters concerning vulnerable victims.

The case is now officially listed for further compliance. The court’s decision stems from a procedural lapse in a 2021 case where the Satna District Court sentenced one Ram Avtar Chaudhary to life imprisonment for molesting a minor.

Upon appeal, the High Court issued a notice to the victim on September 30, 2024, which was to be served by the Kotwali police.

However, the notice was never delivered, prompting the court to take strict action during last Tuesday’s hearing.

--IANS

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