Pune: Maharashtra To Seek Review Of Supreme Court Order On Private Forest Lands
Pune: Maharashtra To Seek Review Of Supreme Court Order On Private Forest Lands
Pune, December 01, 2025: The Maharashtra forest department is preparing to file a review petition against the Supreme Court’s November 8 judgment that upheld individual ownership of several private forest lands across the state. The department fears that the ruling may jeopardise thousands of hectares in the ecologically fragile Western Ghats.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Mahadev Mohite confirmed that officials are revisiting decades-old documents and notices to build a strong legal case. “We are scrutinising all historical records. The review petition is being finalised and will be submitted in December,” he said.
The concern stems from the fact that a large share of these disputed lands lies within the Western Ghats, one of the world’s most significant biodiversity hotspots. Forest officials and conservationists warn that the verdict could accelerate ecological damage and trigger unregulated development in sensitive zones.
Details of the Supreme Court Ruling
The Supreme Court recently overturned a 2018 Bombay High Court judgment that had categorised certain privately-owned properties in Maharashtra as “private forests,” thereby vesting them with the state. The apex court held that the government cannot lay claim to such land without strictly adhering to procedural requirements outlined in forest laws.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Prasanna B. Varale allowed 96 appeals filed by landowners from multiple districts, including Mumbai, Pune and Thane. The court observed that the state had failed to follow mandatory steps—such as serving notices, hearing objections and issuing final notifications—under the Indian Forest Act. It also noted that the state had never taken physical possession of the disputed lands, which continued to remain with the owners for decades.
The bench criticised the Bombay High Court for relying on mutation entries and outdated surveys, noting that such records cannot confer ownership or legally classify land as forest. The court directed authorities to delete all mutation entries marking these lands as private forests and restore the records in the names of their rightful owners.
Impact on Maharashtra’s Forest Department
The ruling is seen as a major setback for the forest department, which anticipated gaining control over vast stretches of land in the Western Ghats. Official data shows that Pune district alone has nearly 11,500 hectares of private forest land under dispute, largely in Mulshi, Velhe and Maval tehsils.
“These areas are part of the northern Western Ghats, already under stress from agriculture and infrastructure expansion. Losing regulatory oversight could lead to irreversible ecological harm,” Mohite said.
Next Steps
The forest department is now preparing fresh legal grounds for the review petition. Mohite said the department will argue that lands falling under the ‘means’ category defined in Section 2(c)(i) of the Maharashtra Private Forests Acquisition Act, 1975, should rightfully vest with the state. Additional arguments are also being explored to strengthen the case.
Officials warn that without intervention, the ruling may pave the way for increased commercial and residential development, further fragmenting one of India’s most critical natural landscapes.
