Indian Forest Act, 1927

The Supreme Court examined contempt applications arising from the appellants' (Krishnadevi Malchand Kamathia & Ors.) alleged violation of a conditional order permitting them to repair an old bund on land classified as CRZ‑1 and notified as a reserve forest. The Court found that the appellants, under the pretext of repa…

The contractors, Orient Paper and Straw Products, had exclusive licences to cut bamboo in government forests under contracts that were to expire in September 1989. The Orissa Forest Produce (Control of Trade) Act, 1981 and its subsequent amendments (1987 and 1989) together with notifications dated 21 September 1988 res…

The Supreme Court entertained a public‑interest writ filed by Rural Litigation & Entitlement Kendra alleging illegal limestone mining in the Mussoorie‑Dehradun belt that was harming the ecology and forest cover. Several expert committees (Bhargava, Working Group, Bandyopadhyay) classified the mines into categories A, B…

Godrej & Boyce acquired a 133-acre parcel in Vikhroli, which was declared waste land and cultivated before 1951. The State later issued a show‑cause notice under Section 35(3) of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 (notice No. WT/53) in 1956‑57, but never served it or took possession, while repeatedly granting building permiss…

The Supreme Court examined the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's (DMRC) request to proceed with Phase‑IV of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) through areas of the Delhi Ridge, South‑Central and Morphological Ridges, which are either notified forest or deemed forest lands. The petitioners argued that the project would c…

The Union Government approved a greenfield international airport at Mopa, Goa, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) granted environmental clearance (EC) under the 2006 notification after the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) recommended it. Petitioners Hanuman Laxman Aroskar and the Federation of Rainbow W…

The State of Madhya Pradesh seized stocks of kattha and cutch from S.P. Sales Agencies for moving them without a transit pass under the Madhya Pradesh Transit (Forest Produce) Rules, 1961, and initiated confiscation proceedings under Section 52 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The High Court quashed the seizure, holding…

The appellants, holders of mining leases in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, sought extension of their leases for periods during which mining was prohibited by orders of the National Green Tribunal and subsequent state notifications. The State argued that neither the Uttar Pradesh Mining Minerals (Concession) Rules, 1963 nor …

The Court was asked to clarify whether mining could be carried out beyond one kilometre from the boundary of a National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary when the proposed site lies within an Eco‑Sensitive Zone (ESZ). The petitioner argued that his mining lease, granted in 2005, was situated 2.26 km from the Radhanagari Wildl…

The State seized a Maruti van loaded with hand‑sawn timber and, under s.59A of the Indian Forest Act, ordered its confiscation. The owner claimed the vehicle was lent to a friend and that he had no knowledge of the illegal timber. The High Court released the vehicle, holding that without proof of the owner's knowledge …

The petition sought directions on whether user agencies diverting forest land for non‑forest purposes must compensate by paying the Net Present Value (NPV) of the lost forest benefits and what guidelines should govern NPV calculation. The Court examined the statutory framework of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, th…

The State of Madhya Pradesh seized a tractor and trolley used for illegal sand excavation from the Chambal river under Section 52 of the Forest Act, 1927 (as amended by MP Act 25 of 1983) and initiated confiscation proceedings under Section 52(3). The respondent sought interim release of the seized vehicle under CrPC S…

The plaintiffs, jagirdars of village Nalej, sold teak and mahuda trees to a contractor. The land was declared a reserved forest under the forest rules of the erstwhile Chhota Udepur State, and later brought under the Indian Forest Act by Gujarat. The contractor sought permission to fell the trees, was denied, and the s…

The State of Bihar appealed against High Court orders that quashed confiscation of trucks seized with illicit forest produce, arguing that the Bihar Forest Produce (Regulation of Trade) Act, 1984 does not strip the authorities of powers conferred by the Indian Forest Act, 1927 as amended by the Bihar Amendment Act, 199…

The truck bearing No. 9493 was seized by a Divisional Forest Officer for carrying 22 logs of timber without a permit under the Madhya Pradesh Ven Upaj Vyapar Viniyaman Act, 1969. The driver compounded the offence by paying Rs.1,000, but the truck was not released because its value was not paid, leading to its confiscat…

The Supreme Court examined the challenge by the Goa Foundation to the criteria adopted by the State of Goa for identifying private forest land, specifically the canopy density threshold of 0.4 and a minimum area of 5 hectares. The Court traced the historical development of these criteria from the 1991 guidelines, the 1…

Suresh Lohia's bamboo mat was confiscated by forest authorities as alleged forest‑produce. The Additional Sessions Judge ordered its release, but the Bombay High Court reversed, holding the mat to be forest‑produce under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Lohia appealed to the Supreme Court, contending that a bamboo mat, bei…

The State of Bihar issued 1983 rules requiring owners of saw‑pits and timber depots to obtain licences, invoking powers under sections 41, 42 and 76 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The Patna High Court held that the statutes did not empower such regulation and set aside the rules. The State appealed, arguing that the p…

The State of Uttar Pradesh challenged the validity of the transit fee imposed under Rule 5 of the Uttar Pradesh Transit of Timber and Other Forest Produce Rules, 1978, arguing that the fee was invalid because it was not supported by a quid pro quo. The Allahabad High Court upheld the constitutional validity of the rule…

The Supreme Court examined the status of Zudpi Jungle lands in six districts of Maharashtra, which, although recorded as forest lands, have been used for residential, agricultural, and governmental purposes for decades. The State of Maharashtra sought to treat these lands as non‑forest to avoid the restrictions of the …

The case concerned several civil appeals and writ petitions challenging National Green Tribunal orders that restrained non‑forest activities on lands in three villages of Faridabad district, Haryana, on the ground that these lands were covered by special orders issued under Section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act…

The Supreme Court examined whether land in village Karoran, notified under Section 3 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900 and regulated by Sections 4 and 5, automatically qualifies as "forest land" under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The High Court had held that the entire 3,700‑acre village wa…

Ramgarh Farms and Industries Ltd. held land under a lease dated 25 January 1951, which was later deemed invalid as a tenure holder under the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950. The Uttar Pradesh Imposition of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1960 initially declared 5,446 acres surplus in 1962 and…

The Supreme Court heard a petition filed by Banwasi Seva Ashram on behalf of Adivasis living in Dudhi and Robertsganj tehsils of Mirzapur district, who claimed possession of forest lands that the State of Uttar Pradesh had declared as reserved forest under sections 20 and 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The petition …

The appellant, the second son of the former Raja of Bushahr, claimed ownership of about 1,720 acres of forest land based on a 1942 patta and subsequent grants by his father, the Raja. The State argued that the 1942 lease of the forests to the Punjab Government divested the Raja of any right to grant those lands and tha…

The State seized a truck carrying forest produce without a transit permit and initiated confiscation proceedings under the West Bengal amendments to the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The District Judge set aside the confiscation order on the ground that the notice under Section 59‑B was invalid, directing the authorities to…

Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd., a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd., sought relief from an order of the Orissa High Court directing payment of compensation for lands acquired in 1987 under the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957. The lands, belonging to tribal owners, had never been compensated despite the…

The Supreme Court, hearing a public‑interest writ filed by Banwasi Seva Ashram on behalf of Adivasi land‑owners displaced by the Rihand Super‑Thermal Power Project of NTPC, reviewed the rehabilitation measures ordered in 1986 and issued a final order in 1992. The Court directed NTPC, in collaboration with the Uttar Pra…

The appellant, Mohd. Ashique, owned a truck that was confiscated by Maharashtra forest officials under Section 61A of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 for allegedly transporting illicitly felled timber. He challenged the confiscation, claiming he had no knowledge of any alterations in the transit passes and that the seizure…

The plaintiff filed a suit for declaration of title and possession of land against the Divisional Forest Officer and the State of Bihar. After the suit proceeded to trial, several third parties (defendants 3‑17) intervened, later amended their written statements and were treated by the trial court as having filed a cou…

The State of Bihar initiated acquisition of land belonging to M/s. Soorajmull Nagarmull in 1981 under Section 17 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, taking possession but failing to publish an award. Subsequent notifications in 1995‑96 attempted a fresh acquisition. The High Court held that the 1981 acquisition remained…

The petitioners, former proprietary jagirdars of Idar State, claimed that after the Bombay Merged Territories and Areas (Jagirs Abolition) Act, 1953 they became occupants of their lands and were therefore entitled to the forest trees standing there. The High Court had held that, because no survey settlement under the B…

The Union of India sought a direction that the minutes of the 40th meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) dated 23 April 2019 be placed on record so that the Supreme Court's embargo on the environmental clearance (EC) for the Mopa greenfield airport could be lifted. The Court examined whether the EAC had adequ…

The Supreme Court examined a batch of appeals concerning the levy of transit fees on forest produce under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. It held that crushing stone boulders into grits, marble slabs, limestone, coal and related minerals does not change their character as forest produce, and that the Forest Act and its 19…

The appellant, an Assistant Mill Manager (AMM) in the Andaman & Nicobar Forest Department, sought promotion to Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) by claiming his post was equivalent to Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) and thus a feeder post under the Indian Forest Service (Appointment by Promotion) Regulations, 1…

The petitioner’s 29.38‑acre land in Bihar was initially acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 with a 1981 notification and possession taken, later declared a protected forest. An award was passed in 2006, but the Supreme Court in August 2015 held that the acquisition proceedings had lapsed and directed the Stat…

The Hospitality Association of Mudumalai and other private land owners challenged the Tamil Nadu Government's notification of an elephant corridor on the Sigur Plateau, arguing that the corridor was not scientifically justified and that the State lacked statutory authority to create it. The High Court had upheld the no…

The case concerned the allotment of industrial plots in Chandigarh under the Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952 and the 1973 Lease‑Hold Rules. Of 339 shortlisted allottees, 254 could not be given possession because much of the land was declared a reserved forest and fell within a restricted zone u…

The State of Tripura appealed against a Gauhati High Court decision that declared Rule 3 of its Transit Rules illegal. Rule 3 imposed licence and application fees, required licences for removal of timber and firewood, allowed the State to prohibit export of forest produce, and levied an export duty of up to 100% of mar…

The Supreme Court disposed of several interlocutory applications filed by various States seeking greater releases from the Ad‑hoc Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). The Court modified its earlier order of July 2009, directing the National CAMPA Advisory Council (NCAC) to issue gu…

The Supreme Court examined whether a 53‑acre portion of Survey No. 345‑A in Dahisar was a "private forest" under the Maharashtra Private Forests (Acquisition) Act, 1975 on the appointed day of 30 August 1975, and whether the State’s acquisition of that land was proportionate and lawful. The Court held that the land was…

The Supreme Court examined whether land in Kant Enclave, notified under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLP) on 18 August 1992, should be treated as forest land and thus subject to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. It held that the notification unequivocally designates the area as forest, rendering any constructio…

Gali Janardhan Reddy, accused of several serious offences under the IPC, Indian Forest Act and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, was granted bail by the Supreme Court in 2015 with a condition that he not visit Bellary (Karnataka) and Ananthapuram and Cuddapah (Andhra Pradesh). He later applied to…

The Supreme Court examined a public‑interest litigation filed by Deepak Agarwal challenging the lease of about 15 hectares of land to Maruti Clean Coal and Power Ltd for a coal‑washery, alleging that the land was forest land under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The Court first assessed the applicant's locus stand…

The State of Madhya Pradesh acquired forest land under Section 16 of the Indian Forest Act and, in lieu of compensation, transferred the land to the respondents. The respondents later sued for a declaration of title and compensation, and the Conservator of Forest colluded with them to obtain a compromise decree that se…

Electrosteel Steels Ltd. obtained environmental clearance (EC) and consent to establish a steel plant at a specified site in Bokaro, but later shifted the plant 5.3 km away, allegedly encroaching forest land. The Ministry of Environment and the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) revoked the EC, leading the…

The appellants, heirs of a zamindar, challenged a Gazette notification under Section 4‑A of the Kumaun and Uttarakhand Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1960 (KUZALR Act) that vested their 1,600 acres of forest land in the State on 1 January 1978. They argued that the vesting was unconstitutional, repugnant to …

The State of Uttar Pradesh issued a notification under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 declaring 22.11 acres of land a reserved forest. The respondents, recorded as Sirdari holders, claimed they had acquired ownership under the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act and therefore the forest no…

In State of Madhya Pradesh v. Kallo Bai, the owner of a tractor and trolley used to transport teak without a permit was seized and a confiscation order was made under Section 15 of the Madhya Pradesh Van Upaj (Vyapar Viniyam) Adhiniyam, 1969. The lower courts held that confiscation could not occur until the accused’s g…

The appellants, private landowners in Maharashtra, challenged revenue annotations and mutation entries that labelled their lands as private forests and vested in the State, arguing that the statutory requirements for acquisition were not fulfilled. The State contended that notices issued under Section 35(3) of the Indi…

The Banwasi Seva Ashram filed a writ petition under Article 32 challenging the eviction of its members from areas declared reserve forest under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The Supreme Court had earlier appointed commissioners to prepare land records, identify forest land and decide the final action, but …

The petitioners, nomadic graziers from Gujarat and Rajasthan, challenged a Madhya Pradesh notification that imposed higher grazing charges on "foreign cattle" (cattle owned by persons from other states), prescribed a specific transit route, and limited the period of transit to 45 days. They argued that these measures v…

The Supreme Court examined whether 162 acres of land in Kasmandi Khurd, Uttar Pradesh, vested in the State under the U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 and was subsequently declared a reserved forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. It held that the Gaon Sabha had no authority to grant a lease to the…

The appellants, Bhoomidars, were in possession of land that had been declared a reserved forest under Section 4 of the Forest Act, 1927, leading to an eviction drive by the Forest Department. The Forest Settlement Officer, after hearing the parties, held that the appellants had a rightful claim dating back to before 13…

The appellant’s truck carrying 17 cow progeny was seized and the driver and others were arrested under the Madhya Pradesh Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act, 2004 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The trial court acquitted all accused, finding no evidence of intent to slaughter, but the District Magistr…

C.G. Velkar, a private forest land holder, challenged the vesting of his 20‑hectare land in Versave village in the State of Maharashtra under the Maharashtra Private Forests (Acquisition) Act, 1975. The dispute centered on whether the word "issue" in Section 2(f)(iii) of the Act required actual service of a notice unde…

The Range Forest Officer alleged that the directors and office bearers of a company illegally uprooted trees using a JCB, violating Section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900, and sought prosecution under Section 19. The Special Environment Court took cognizance of the complaint and issued process against the …