Supreme Court tells states, UTs to set up expert committee for consolidated records of lands including forest areas

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all the states and Union Territories to constitute within a month expert committee for preparing a consolidated record of lands, including forest like areas, unclassed and community forest lands.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih said the expert committee should complete within six months the exercise as required under Rule 16 (1) of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023.

The bench noted that rule 16 (1) required all the state governments and Union Territories to prepare a consolidated record of such lands, including forest like areas identified by the expert committee, unclassed forest lands and community forest lands to which the provisions of the 2023 forest conservation law would be applicable.

The court's order came while hearing a batch of pleas against the amendments to the 2023 forest conservation law. The bench observed that once the exercise, as required to be done under rule 16 (1) was complete, it would lead to resolution of many issues.

"We, therefore, direct all the states and Union Territories, in which the expert committee has not yet been constituted, to constitute such committees within a period of one month from today," the bench said.

It noted that as per the Centre's affidavit, certain states have not appointed the expert committee yet.

The bench said the Centre should consolidate the state wise position and place the same before the court.

It said the apex court's registrar (judicial) shall communicate its order to the chief secretary of all the states and also to the administrators of the Union Territories.

The bench clarified that if the directions were not followed in letter and spirit by the states and Union Territories, it would hold the chief secretaries and administrators responsible for the lapse and consider taking such steps as found appropriate.

It posted the matter for hearing after six months.

The bench said that its February 3 direction passed in the matter would continue in the meantime.

"We make it clear that until further orders, no steps will be taken by the Union of India or any of the states, which will lead to reduction of the forest land unless a compensatory land is provided either by the state government or the Union of India for the purpose of afforestation," the court had said on February 3.

During the hearing on Tuesday, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said they have filed an affidavit in the matter.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for one of the petitioners, said, "In this amendment, which is under challenge here, they have given compensatory afforestation as a principle which they will use whenever forest land is diverted." He said chopping of entire forests would have severe impact on the environment and climate change.

"My plea today is only this, until this identification process is completed, let them not in any way touch the forests," he said.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for another petitioner, referred to a report about forest cover in the country.

Justice Gavai said as per a recent news article, the forest cover in the country has increased.

In February last year, the top court took note of the submission that the definition of forest under the 2023 amended law on conservation left out nearly 1.99 lakh square kilometer of forest land from the ambit of "forests" and made it available for other purposes.

It had directed the state governments and union territories to provide the details of forest land within their jurisdiction to the Centre by March 31, 2024.