Guwahati: The Eastern Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stayed an Assam government order proposing the deployment of 1,600 personnel from the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) for election duty, days ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled for April 9.
The development follows a report by Northeast Now that first flagged the issue, pointing to the large-scale deployment of frontline forest personnel from core duties such as anti-poaching patrols, prevention of illegal logging, and protection of forest land.
Terming the state’s directive “bad in law”, a two-member Bench comprising Judicial Member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member Ishwar Singh issued notices to the Assam government, the Union Environment Ministry, the National Biodiversity Authority, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, and the Special Chief Secretary.
The order under challenge, issued on March 19, had directed the mobilisation of around 1,600 AFPF personnel, asking them to report to the office of the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) by April 3. The personnel were to remain deployed until April 10, a day after polling.
The petitioner, advocate Gaurav Bansal, contended that the directive violated a May 2024 order of the Supreme Court, which barred States from requisitioning forest personnel or vehicles for election-related or other non-forestry duties. He argued that the AFPF’s statutory mandate is confined to the protection of forests, wildlife, and related resources.
Acting on the plea, the NGT observed that allowing the deployment to proceed would create a fait accompli. “If we don’t ask the state government to withdraw the order, it will be fait accompli… we have to stay it, otherwise it will set a bad precedent,” the Bench noted, while listing the matter for further hearing on April 6.
The tribunal also flagged procedural concerns. It noted that the March 19 communication, issued by Special Chief Secretary, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, M.K. Yadava, was addressed to AFPF commandants but did not include the state’s Chief Electoral Officer among its recipients. During the hearing, the Bench sought clarification on the authority of the Special Chief Secretary in matters related to election deployment, with the State counsel seeking time to respond.
The AFPF, established in 1986, is tasked with safeguarding Assam’s forests, wildlife, and forest resources. The petitioner argued that diverting such personnel for election duty undermines statutory obligations, particularly under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, which mandates continuous monitoring of ecologically sensitive areas, including Kaziranga National Park.
The issue assumes significance against a backdrop of earlier controversies. Yadava, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, has previously faced scrutiny over alleged violations of forest conservation laws. In May 2025, the Environment Ministry’s regional office in Shillong directed the Assam Forest Department to initiate action against him for permitting the establishment of commando battalion camps on forest land in alleged violation of legal provisions.
The NGT’s interim order has, for now, halted the proposed deployment, with further proceedings scheduled in the coming days.