Supreme Court Appoints Ex-CJI Gavai to Lead Tamil Nadu Forest Rights Panel
· India · Hindustan Times
The Supreme Court has appointed former Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai to head a special committee tasked with scrutinising forest rights claims in Tamil Nadu. The bench, led by justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, criticised the state government for its prolonged failure to initiate the statutory process for forest dwellers in the Agasthyamalai landscape. The committee will include an officer from the Central Empowered Committee and the state's principal chief conservator of forests to oversee claims by scheduled tribes and traditional forest dwellers. The court ordered the state to complete the formation of remaining Gram Sabhas within 30 days and conclude the adjudication process within five months. Findings from the committee are to be submitted to the court in a sealed cover within two months of the state's deadline.
Why it matters
This intervention directly impacts the land rights of forest-dwelling communities in Tamil Nadu's ecologically sensitive Agasthyamalai region, forcing the state administration to finally implement long-delayed statutory procedures.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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