Supreme Court Upholds Directions on Illegally Diverted Forest Land
The Supreme Court has dismissed a curative plea from Richie Rich Cooperative Housing Society, maintaining its directives on illegally diverted forest land. A five-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, upheld the May 2025 judgment that requires states and Union territories to form special investigation teams (SITs) to identify and restore reserved forest land. The case involved 11.89 hectares of land in Pune, Maharashtra, illegally allotted in 1999. The court noted serious allegations regarding the involvement of state officials in bypassing the Forest Conservation Act. It mandated that any illegally allotted land be returned to the forest department within a year and outlined provisions for recovering costs from private entities if restoration is not in the public interest.
Published 11 hours ago • 29 Aug 2026, 01:32 PM IST