SC restores forest land, permits action against erring oƒcials
Forest department has been able to retain a forest land parcel of over 106 acres on the fringes of Bhupalapally town, in a long drawn case, which went up to the Supreme Court.
The apex court delivered its judgment on Thursday, conrming ownership of Forest department on land, and also recommended action against the o cials who submitted a davits favouring private persons who had claimed title on the land.
As per the details of the case shared by the district Forest o cials, a person named Mohammed Abdul Qasim had approached the Warangal district court in 1985 claiming rights on the land, situated in Survey No. 171. In 1994, the court had ruled in favour of the Forest department, which the petitioner challenged in the Telangana High Court. The High Court delivered the judgement in 2018, upholding the lower court’s order.
However, responding to the review petition led by the appellant, the High Court, in March, 2021, reversed its own earlier order by ruling that Mohammed Abdul Qasim was the genuine owner of the land parcel.
The Forest department led a special leave petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court’s order. The case came up for hearing in February this year when the arguments on both sides were presented.
The Supreme Court’s order on Thursday observed that it was a classic case where the o cials of the State who were expected to protect and preserve the forests in discharge of their public duties clearly abdicated their role.
Bench said it was very strange that the HC “went beyond and graciously gifted the forest land to a private person who could not prove his title”.