SC Orders State Governments To Evict 11 Lakh Families Occupying Forest Land Despite Ownership Claims Being Rejected

In a case relating to claims on forest land, the Supreme Court has directed 17 states to evict around 11 lakh households whose claims to the forest land where they reside have been rejected under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA), reports Hindustan Times.

The deadline for the evictions is the date of the next hearing, i.e. 12 July. The apex court has also ordered the Forest Survey of India located in Dehradun to file a report based on satellite imagery to look at the progress of encroachment removal.

The exact number of claims which have been rejected stands at 11,72,931 or around 11.7 lakh households. One of the main criteria for claiming ownership rights under the FRA is to have possessed the land for at least three generations prior to 31 December 2005. Many of those whose claims have been dismissed have been unable to prove this.

In those claims where verification/re-verification or review is awaited, the Supreme Court has directed that such matters be solved within the next four months and accordingly a report be submitted before the court.

Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha are likely to be the most affected states, since they make up for 20 per cent of the total ownership claims filed under the FRA.

The demand for removal of encroachers has been raised by a number of wildlife NGOs and environmental activists, who believe that these people pose a threat to the conservation of forests and wildlife.