SC pulls up Uttarakhand over encroachment in Rishikesh forest
SC pulls up Uttarakhand over encroachment in Rishikesh forest
The Supreme Court orders urgent action as thousands of forest acres in Rishikesh remain encroached, prompting suo motu proceedings and a land possession audit.
The Supreme Court on Monday initiated suo motu proceedings after noting that over 2,800 acres of forest land, which reverted to the forest department in 1984, continued to remain under occupation of private parties.
The bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, said it was shocking that the Uttarakhand government appeared to be a silent spectator while large-scale encroachment occurred on forest land. It directed immediate administrative action and ordered the state’s chief secretary and additional chief secretary to urgently examine the current possession status and submit a detailed report to the apex court by the first week of January. The court also instructed forest authorities to take possession of all vacant portions of the land forthwith and to file a compliance report within the stipulated time.
Private parties were restrained from creating third-party rights or alienating land currently occupied, though the court clarified that there would be no coercive action against occupants of constructed residential units for the time being, keeping the status quo for existing housing. The orders were issued in the context of reports that thousands of acres of forest land had been encroached over decades, with the state government accused of inaction.
The case has been expanded to probe alleged illegal leasing and allotment of around 2,866 acres of forest land, signaling potential policy and administrative shifts to reclaim forest land and curb encroachments that threaten biodiversity and forest governance.
