Tamil NaduSunday, 11 October 2026·Hindu Tamil Thisai
High Court orders Southern Railway chief engineer to appear over removal of Prosopis juliflora in Tamil Nadu
The Madras High Court directed the Southern Railway chief engineer to appear over a missing report on removal of Prosopis juliflora from railway lands in Tamil Nadu.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In October 2026, a Madras High Court special bench led by Justices N. Sathish Kumar and G.K. Muthukumaran ordered the Southern Railway chief engineer to appear, after no report was filed on removing Prosopis juliflora from railway-owned vacant lands in Tamil Nadu.
Key specifics
- The case concerns Prosopis juliflora removal from vacant lands owned by Southern Railway across Tamil Nadu.
- The bench comprised Justices N. Sathish Kumar and G.K. Muthukumaran.
- The court had earlier ordered release of the environmental compensation fund within 2 weeks for removal work.
- The state report said district collectors were instructed to use district mineral funds with district committee approval.
- The hearing was adjourned to the next month after the judges expressed dissatisfaction with district-wise statistics.
Exam lens
TN judiciary and environment question type: identify the invasive species, the court bench, and the funding mechanism. TNPSC may ask which court ordered the railway chief engineer to explain and what species was targeted for removal.