Form SITs to examine status of forest land: Supreme Court to States, UTs-OxBig News Network

The Supreme Court observation on reserved forest land for any private parties for non-forestry purposes. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Supreme Court on Thursday (May 15, 2025) directed all the States and Union Territories to constitute special investigation teams to examine if any reserved forest land was allotted to any private parties for non-forestry purpose.

A Bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justices Augustine George Masih and K. Vinod Chandran directed the States and UTs to take steps to take back possession of such lands and handover the same to the forest department.

“In case, it is found that taking back the possession of the land would not be in the larger public interest, the state governments/Union Territories should recover the cost of the said land from the persons/institutions to whom they were allotted and use the said amount for the purpose of development of forests,” the bench said.

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It also directed the Chief Secretaries of all the states and the administrators of the UTs to constitute special teams to ensure that all such transfers take place within one year from today.

The Bench said such land should be used only for the purpose of afforestation.

“We further direct the chief secretaries of all the states and the administrators of all the Union Territories to constitute special investigation teams for the purpose of examining as to whether any of the reserved forest land in the possession of the revenue department has been allotted to any private individuals/institutions for any purpose other than the forestry purpose,” it said.

The top court’s direction came in a judgement delivered in a matter related to reserved forest land in Pune.

“The present matter is a classic example as to how the nexus between the politicians, bureaucrats and the builders can result in the conversion of precious forest land for commercial purposes under the garb of resettlement of people belonging to the backward class from whose ancestors, agricultural land was acquired for public purpose,” the Bench said.