cross-examination. At the same time, at this stage, it would prima facie appear that these statements would match with the statement of the Circle Officer to the effect that 41,95,909 tea bushes have been uprooted. 13. The contention of the State Government in the affidavit, which was tendered before this Court on 22 April 2024, was that tea bushes are removed routinely “even as a part of regular tea cultivation” for which no prior Environmental Clearance is required. To support this submission, reliance was placed on the communication of the Member Secretary of the SEAC in Assam which also records that in a tea garden tea bushes and shade trees are removed and uprooted at regular intervals once the trees grow old and there is a loss of production of tea. The letter dated 22 April 2024 is a self- serving document prepared on the same date as the affidavit.7 14. What warrants attention, however, is that in the present case, the clearance of the site cannot be unequivocally attributed