Kerala's South Wayanad Land Declared Private Plantation, Not Forest : Supreme Court

The Supreme Court held that 37.5 acres in South Wayanad, cultivated with coffee and cardamom, constituted private plantation land and did not vest as forest under the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971.

A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria set aside the Kerala High Court’s 2012 judgment upholding the Forest Tribunal, restoring ownership and possession to M. Jameela. 

The Court noted plantations existed before the appointed day, rejected the State’s claims over areas allegedly uncultivated or newly planted, and directed the State and Custodian of Vested Forests to correct boundary records within six weeks. 

[M. Jameela v State of Kerala & Ors.]