Jodhpur, May 14 -- The Rajasthan high court has ordered that no Khejri trees-Rajasthan's state tree-be felled without prior legal approval and notice to a newly formed government committee tasked with protecting them from solar project clearances. A division bench of justice Arun Monga and justice Sandeep Shah issued the directive last week while disposing of a plea filed by Shri Jambeshwar Paryavaran and Jeev Raksha Pradesh Sanstha. The petitioner organisation sought directions to halt illegal tree cutting, especially of Khejri trees, without due process. It also requested guidelines for tree felling, promotion of agroforestry across Rajasthan, enactment of a tree protection law, and compensatory planting for any authorised removals. Advocate Vijay Bishnoi, appearing for the petitioner, argued that solar power projects under the state government's policy were clearing greenery indiscriminately on largely infertile land. He noted that the Khejri tree, scientifically Prosopis cineraria, thrives in the harsh desert climate. The petition highlighted the tree's religious and emotional significance to local communities, citing the historic 1730 sacrifice by Bishnoi community members opposing felling. The bench acknowledged that the state government had recognised the issue. On March 9, 2026, it formed a special committee to examine tree protection measures comprehensively, including potential legislation. The government order, cited by the court, directs the committee to study laws in other states, consult stakeholders, review judicial decisions and existing provisions on tree conservation, and draft protective legislation. The bench ruled: "No trees shall be felled without prior approval to be obtained in accordance with law, but with due intimation to the above Committee." "The Khejri, a rare desert tree of ecological significance, grows in sparse isolation, barely one tree per half a square kilometer. Yet it is slated for felling. The reason? To make way for solar power generation. The irony is breathtaking, to say the least," the court observed....