Supreme Court’s Bold Move: Safeguarding Our Forests from Reduction – A Victory for Nature!
The Supreme Court of India has issued an important directive to both the central and state governments, mandating a halt to any actions that might diminish forest land across the nation, unless alternative land is set aside for afforestation. This decision, made on February 3 by a bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K. Vinod Chandran, came about during a review of multiple writ petitions challenging the recent 2023 amendments to the Forest Conservation Act (FCA).
In its interim order, the court emphasized that no reduction in forest area is permissible until “compensatory land is provided either by the State or the Union for the purposes of afforestation.” The case has its roots in a prior directive from February 2024, which required states and union territories to conform to the “forest” definition according to the historic 1996 T.N. Godavarman Thirumalpad v. Union of India judgment. Additionally, the Union was tasked with compiling and digitizing comprehensive forest land data from all states and making it accessible on the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change’s (MoEF) website by April 15, 2024.
During the proceedings, Senior Advocate P.C. Sen represented retired Indian Forest Service officials and raised concerns over forest land being cleared under the guise of compensatory afforestation, potentially threatening the overall forest cover. Furthermore, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan argued against MoEF regulations that permit such practices and requested temporary protection until states fulfill their obligation to identify forested areas in line with previous court orders.
In response to these concerns, Justice Gavai urged Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, to address the misuse of forest land for compensatory purposes. Bhati admitted to partial compliance from the states and sought additional time to provide a comprehensive status report.
This ruling underscores the judiciary’s proactive stance in safeguarding India’s forests amid rising environmental concerns and legal debates.
Original Source: https://www.guwahatiplus.com/india/sc-temporarily-restrains-centre-states-from-reducing-forest-land
Category : India
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Publish Date: 2025-02-04 14:43:00
