Supreme Court Bars Centre and States from Reducing Forest Land Unless Compensatory Land Given
- Case Name: Ashok Kumar Sharma, Indian Forest Service (Retd) & Ors. v Union of India
- Judge(s): Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran
The Supreme Court has ruled that forest land can be used for linear projects unless an equal area of compensatory land is provided.
It has strictly restrained the Centre and states from taking any steps that would lead to decreased forest cover, emphasizing the importance of maintaining ecological balance.
The court was hearing the petition challenging the amendments made to the Forest Conservation Act in 2023.
Additionally, the court directed states and Union Territories to identify and report all forest lands as per the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India, 1996.
The Court listed the matter for further hearing on March 4th, 2025.
Nishtha GuptaBookmark