Supreme Court Demands Action on Misuse of Reserved Forest Land

The Supreme Court has instructed states and union territories to form special investigation teams to assess improper allocation of reserved forest land for non-forestry purposes. It mandates repossession of such lands or monetary compensation to fund forest development. This decision addresses misuse by private parties under false pretenses.

The Supreme Court has issued a directive for all states and union territories to establish special investigation teams. These teams will scrutinize whether any reserved forest land has been improperly allocated to private parties for purposes other than forestry.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai along with Justices Augustine George Masih and K Vinod Chandran, mandated that affected lands should be repossessed and returned to the forest department. If repossession is not feasible or contrary to public interest, financial compensation should be collected and utilized for forest development.

This decision follows a case involving reserved forest land in Pune, highlighting the dangerous nexus between politicians, bureaucrats, and developers which facilitates illegal conversion of forest land for commercial gain.

(With inputs from agencies.)