K'taka HC directs govt to implement unified GIS system, dismisses petitions of developers claiming right over Devanahalli forest land

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has issued a series of directions to the state government for implementation of a unified, integrated technological platform based on Geographic Information System (GIS) to serve as a single source of verifiable and credentialised information for all land-related data.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued these directions while dismissing the petitions filed by landowners and real estate developers claiming their right over the forest land at Chikkasane village, Kasaba Hobli, Devanahalli taluk, Bangalore Rural district.

“The problem is not the absence of digital records but the absence of a single, authoritative, and consolidated database that all government departments must mandatorily reference,” Justice Suraj Govindaraj said, adding that “The solution lies in a radical transformation from siloed digitisation to a unified, integrated technological platform that serves as a single source of verifiable and credentialised truth for all land-related information.”

The court has said that the platform includes a GIS based foundation, functioning as a digital, unified, and immutable map of all land parcels in the state. Utilizing high-resolution satellite imagery from the Forest Survey of India (FSI) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the platform will digitally demarcate and geo-tag all notified forest boundaries according to historical gazette notifications, the court said.

“It will also perform forest cover mapping using remote sensing data to monitor forest status at the state level. This unified map will integrate with other land-related data, including the Revenue Department's cadastral maps, the Urban Planning Authority's master plans, and all other public and private land records,” the court said.

In other directions, the court has asked the authorities concerned to ensure that in the platform each land parcel is assigned a Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), or ‘Bhu-Aadhar’, linking all textual, spatial, and legal records to a single, immutable digital identity.

The court said that the system must automatically reject the application and generate a ‘Conflict Alert’ for all concerned departments in case a land parcel falls within a notified forest boundary. The online portal for building plan approvals would also be required to integrate with this system to automatically verify that the land is legally converted and free from disputes, the court said, adding that the unified platform must include a publicly accessible portal to empower citizens and foster public trust.

The court that the Department of Land and Revenue has to ensure mandatory adoption and use of the ULPIN for all land parcels, serving as the primary key for linking all textual, spatial, and legal data for each parcel, thereby ensuring data integrity and preventing future discrepancies.

High Level Committee

In order to oversee the phased implementation of the directions, the court has directed setting up of a joint, high-level committee comprising representatives from the Chief Secretary's office, and the heads of the Land and Revenue, Forest, and other departments. The court has also fixed a timeline between three months and two years for a phase-wise manner implementation of the directions.