Nagpur: In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India has granted a one-time exemption for encroachments made before December 12, 1996, on about 10,365 hectares of Zudpi Jungle land across Maharashtra, largely concentrated in the Vidarbha region. These lands are currently being used for farming, housing, slums, schools, government colonies, and other public facilities.
The decision came while the court was hearing an application filed by the Maharashtra Government in connection with the decades-old T N Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union of India case, which deals with forest conservation. The State had sought two major changes in the apex court’s earlier order dated May 22, 2025, regularisation of encroachments and use of fragmented land parcels.
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Accepting the plea on encroachments, the court acknowledged that thousands of families have been residing or cultivating on such lands for decades but could not obtain proper records due to lapses by revenue officials. The bench, comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih, also took note of the Central Empowered Committee’s (CEC) recommendation supporting protection of these structures.
As per the order, the exemption will apply to agricultural activities, kutcha and pakka houses, slums, government employees’ quarters, Zilla Parishad and private schools, and other essential public utilities. However, the court categorically ruled that encroachments after December 12, 1996, will not be eligible for this relief. Such cases will have to be considered strictly under the conditions laid down in the May 2025 judgment.
On the State’s second request, that fragmented land parcels of less than three hectares, not adjoining any forest, should be excluded from the ‘protected forest’ category, the court refused to relax its earlier stand. The bench directed that all such parcels must continue to be declared as protected forest. It, however, clarified that if the government wishes to use them for purposes allowed under Section 3(2) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, it must follow the legal process prescribed under the Act.
The ruling provides long-awaited relief to thousands of occupants of Zudpi Jungle land in Vidarbha and other regions, while also reinforcing the court’s insistence on strict compliance with forest protection laws for future encroachments.
