The record
Written from the 1 report below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- The Bombay High Court has set aside the Maharashtra government's decision to declare lands belonging to most of 184 property owners, mostly in Thane district, as 'private forest' under a 50-year-old law, which restricts development of such land.
- The court said the state ignored a 2014 Supreme Court ruling requiring that notice be issued and a hearing conducted before land can be declared private forest and vested with the government.
- Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande criticized the government's 'obstinacy' and 'defiant approach', saying it persisted in a misconception for over a decade despite the higher court's mandate.
- The High Court directed the state to scrutinize all pending cases and restore landowners' names in revenue records where the mandatory procedure was not followed.
What to watch next
- Whether the state government complies with the High Court's direction to review all pending private forest cases under the 2014 Supreme Court ruling
- Restoration of landowners' names in revenue records for the 184 owners in Shahpur, Ulhasnagar and Murbad
- Possibility of the state challenging the July 23 judgment in a higher court
Coverage1
1 report
English national1
All filed from India
Named India · 184 property owners · Murbad · Shahpur · Thane district · Ulhasnagar · Bharati Dangre · Bombay High Court · Maharashtra government · Manjusha Deshpande · Revenue Department · Supreme Court
The 1 report is listed beside the record.
Ask this story
Answers cite the reports above, or say they can't.