National Green Tribunal Halts Assam's Forest Personnel Deployment for Elections

Tribunal's Intervention on Forest Personnel Deployment

On Thursday, the National Green Tribunal intervened to suspend an order from the Assam government that aimed to assign 1,600 members of the state's forest protection force to election duties, as reported by a news outlet.

A tribunal bench, which included Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Ishwar Singh, made this decision while addressing a petition from advocate Gaurav Bansal, who challenged the deployment.

Bansal argued that this order violated the 2002 Biological Diversity Act and a Supreme Court ruling from 2024 that prohibited the use of forest personnel for election-related tasks.

Labeling the government's action as legally flawed, the tribunal issued notices to various authorities, including the Assam government, the environment ministry, and the National Biodiversity Authority.

On March 19, the Assam government had mandated the deployment of approximately 1,600 personnel from the Assam Forest Protection Force, instructing them to report to the additional director general of police by April 3.

This order was issued in anticipation of the Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, with vote counting set for May 4. The state administration has been in communication with the Election Commission since the Model Code of Conduct was activated on March 15.

According to the order, the personnel are expected to return to their regular duties on April 10, the day following the elections.

In his arguments before the tribunal, Bansal reiterated that the directive contradicted a Supreme Court ruling from May 2024, which stated that forest staff and vehicles should not be requisitioned for election duties across all states.

He expressed concerns that diverting the Assam Forest Protection Force from their essential roles could increase the likelihood of illegal activities, such as poaching.

The tribunal remarked, “If we do not instruct the state government to retract the order, it will become a fait accompli since tomorrow is the final date for their deployment. We must stay it to avoid setting a negative precedent.”

The tribunal has scheduled a follow-up hearing for April 6.

Concerns Raised by Former Officials

Earlier this week, a collective of retired civil servants and former diplomats voiced their apprehensions regarding the deployment order.

The Constitutional Conduct Group sent an open letter to the state administration, asserting that the decision to assign Assam Forest Protection Force personnel for polling duties was in direct violation of legal and administrative standards.

The Election Commission's guidelines specify that territorial forest forces and active forest officials, including senior Indian Forest Service officers, should not be requisitioned for election-related responsibilities.

These guidelines are intended to safeguard critical ecological protection and forest governance functions during elections, and the group expressed alarm at the apparent disregard for these regulations by senior state officials.

The deployment of forest personnel is particularly concerning given the necessity to protect Assam's significant wildlife and endangered species.

Maintaining constant vigilance by trained forest protection forces is essential to prevent poaching and habitat encroachments in protected areas like Kaziranga National Park.