Second FIR against Embassy Group for illegal tree felling in Kadugodi forest

An FIR has been registered against Embassy Group by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Forest Cell for illegal felling of trees in the Kadugodi Reserve Forest area. This is the second case linked to logging in the same forest area since 2007. The latest FIR relates to felling of 110 trees.

According to officials, approximately 400 fully grown trees were documented on the 78-acre forest parcel during a survey conducted in 2006-07. This figure excludes smaller trees, saplings and seedlings that fall under the definition of “tree” under the Karnataka Trees Protection Act, 1976, which classifies any woody plant with a diameter of at least 5.5 cm and a height of 1 m as a tree.

The first example of illegal logging occurred in 2007, when the Karnataka Forest Department’s case was initiated by Concord India Private Ltd. He was identified after he filed a lawsuit against him, and the company was later associated with the land. A penalty of ₹1 lakh was imposed, following which the tree felling activity was reportedly stopped for a while.

In 2020, the erstwhile BBMP Forest Cell allowed felling of 42 trees in the district. Forest officials said the permit was granted in bypassing legal safeguards because the law requires public notice and hearing of proposals that include removing more than 50 trees.

It was claimed that using this permit, hundreds of trees were cut down between 2022 and 2025, exceeding the permitted number. The investigation also revealed that no permit had been obtained for the transportation of the timber.

This happened amidst an ongoing struggle over the ownership and status of the larger Kadugodi forest land. The Embassy Group had started work on a 78.54-acre IT park on the same land, four months after the Forest Ministry decided to appeal to the Supreme Court for recovery of 449 acres of forest land worth over ₹ 22,000 crore in Kadugodi.

The embassy group was not available for comment.