A Reserved Forest is a legal category under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, where activities like grazing, hunting, or tree-felling are banned unless explicitly permitted.
These forests enjoy maximum protection, and violation of usage norms attracts strict penalties.
Background: 1996 Godavarman Judgment:
In the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India (1996) case, the Supreme Court ruled that the term “forest” must be understood not only by official classification but also by dictionary meaning.
It ordered that no non-forest activity can be carried out in any forest area without prior approval of the Central Government under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
Key Highlights of the Judgment:
SITs to be formed by Chief Secretaries/Administrators to probe illegal allotments.
Forest land under Revenue Departments to be handed over to Forest Departments.
If retrieval is not feasible, cost recovery from allottees to fund forest development.
Future use of such land to be limited strictly to afforestation purposes.
The verdict cited a 1998 case in Pune as a “classic example of politician-bureaucrat-builder nexus” misusing reserved forest land for commercial gain.
Environmental clearance granted by the Ministry in such cases has been quashed.
Why in News:
The Supreme Court has directed all States and Union Territories to constitute Special Investigation Teams (SITs) to identify and recover forest lands wrongly allotted for non-forest activities.
Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
