SC refuses to roll back directions on illegal forest land diversion
The Supreme Court has refused to roll back its decision directing states and Union territories to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to restore forest land illegally diverted to private entities and recover costs in cases where recovery of land is not feasible
The Supreme Court has maintained its ruling from May 2025, which directed states and Union territories to create special investigation teams (SIT) to recover illegally diverted forest land and its costs. This decision was reinforced by a five-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, dismissing a curative petition filed against the previous judgment.
The original case involved Richie Rich Cooperative Housing Society, which was issued 11.89 hectares of land within a reserved forest in Maharashtra's Pune district in 1999. The allotment was deemed illegal by the court, as it was intended for agricultural use but later sold to the housing society. The curative petition argued that no case was made out for further review based on the 2002 Rupa Ashok Hurra case.
However, the current bench disagreed, citing serious allegations of political influence and bypassing of the Forest Conservation Act in the original case. The court emphasized the need for states and UTs to identify and take back any reserved forest land improperly allocated to private entities, transferring it to the forest department within a year or recovering costs from the responsible parties to fund forest development.
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