{
  "id": 2155024,
  "title": "Court upholds eviction of society from leased forest land in Uttara Kannada",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/court-upholds-eviction-of-society-from-leased-forest-land-in-uttara",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T14:36:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/court-upholds-eviction-of-society-from-leased-forest-land-in-uttara-kannada/article71369341.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The High Court of Karnataka in Dharwad has upheld the eviction of the Kamadhenu Co-operative Dairy and Fruit Processing Society from 389.07 acres of forest land in Sirsi taluk of Uttara Kannada. The 12-acre verdict, delivered on August 12, 2026, found that the society did not have a legal right to remain in possession of the land after the expiry of its government lease. The lease, granted under Government Order No APA:183.FGL.69 of December 2, 1969, covered various survey numbers across four villages. Originally for 30 years, the lease was later reduced to 20 years by the State government in 1976, becoming effective until December 1, 1989. Despite this, the society continued to use the land after the lease expired and even filed a civil court case in 1993, which was later affirmed by the High Court. The Forest Department initiated eviction proceedings under Section 64-A of the Karnataka Forest Act 1963, and the society's appeal was rejected by the Chief Conservator of Forests. While the court acknowledged the society's efforts to contest the eviction, it held that due process had been followed and that the society's long occupation could not create an enforceable right once the original source of possession ended. The High Court also noted that the land was not de-notified or de-forested and rejected the society's plea of adverse possession. The Deputy Conservator of Forests in Sirsi confirmed that the authorities will follow the court order and continue with the eviction process in accordance with the law.",
  "summary": "The society does not have a subsisting legal right to remain in possession of the land after the expiry of its government lease, says High Court",
  "key_points": [
    "High Court upholds eviction of society from 389.07 acres of forest land in Uttara Kannada.",
    "Society's long occupation couldn't create enforceable right after original possession ended."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}