Is safely removing really necessary on an SD card?

Yes.

If you remove it while there are write actions in progress or pending then the card can be corrupted losing all data.

If you are talking about removing from a computer, then no, not all the time. Sometimes I try to remove mine "safely" but the computer tells me it is still being used, which makes no sense because I've usually shut down the software prior to removing the card. So, I've removed the card anyway, and so far, no concerns.

I'd say if you can, do it the proper way, but if you have an issue, I would think you'd be fine.

When you safely remove a card, it's REALLY safe to remove it. But if you remove it a different way, it might be safe to remove it, or it might not be - and if it wasn't, you can damage the data on the card.

I always do; especially if you are using a MAC or Linux. But highly recommended for PCs as well

While you may be able to often get away with it, it is the surest way to corrupt your SD card.

If you are reading data from the card, then no.

If you are writing data to the card, then absolutely. Yanking the card if writes are pending can corrupt data. Often times, it isn't obvious when the card is finished writing.

not really if u are pro