India, April 3 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday took judicial note of the ongoing deforestation on 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli, near the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus, and directed the Telangana government to immediately halt all tree-felling and excavation activities at the site.

The bench, comprising justices Bhushan R Gavai and AG Masih, also ordered the Registrar (Judicial) of the Telangana high court to conduct an on-site inspection and submit an interim status report by 3:30pm today.

"The news items show that the authorities, taking advantage of long holidays over the weekend, have rushed through in felling the trees. Additionally, the forest is said to be home to eight species of scheduled animals," noted t...