In a victory for green activists, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered status quo in the Aarey tree felling case, ordering the Maharashtra government not to cut down any more trees until further order.

The apex court also ordered the state government to release all protesters if not released already. The court asked the state government to submit a status report on the number of trees felled so far and the compulsory afforestation by the Mumbai metro.

The court was hearing petitions by activists who are protesting against the felling of over 2,600 trees in Aarey colony for the construction of a Mumbai Metro car shed.