More Stories

Informist, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court on Monday expressed shock at the Uttarakhand government and state authorities, who sat as silent spectators even as forest land was systematically grabbed before their eyes. The bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant was hearing a case involving private individuals who had allegedly grabbed thousands of acres of forest land. 

 

The top court, suo motu, enlarged the scope of the proceedings and asked the state chief secretary and the state principal chief conservator of forests to constitute an enquiry committee to examine all facts and submit a report. Meanwhile, private individuals are restrained from alienating the land, encumbering it, or creating any third-party rights, the court said. It goes without saying that no construction activity will be permitted, the court added. It will hear the case next on Jan. 5.

 

The case concerns 2,866 acres of land notified as government forest land. A part of this land was allegedly leased out to Pashulok Sewa Samiti, a society in Rishikesh. The society claims to have further allocated land parcels to its members. 

 

Thereafter, there was a dispute between society and its members, which apparently led to the passage of a compromise, rather collusive decree, noted the court. Meanwhile, the society was liquidated, and by a deed of surrender, it transferred 594 acres of land to the forest department in 1984. The order for the surrender of the land or re-vesting the forest land in the government has attained finality. Yet, some private individuals, including the petitioner Anita Kandwal, are stated to have taken possession of the land in 2001, the court noted. Similarly, another private individual claims ownership of the land based on a collusive decree between the society and its members, the court noted.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2025. All rights reserved.