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Environmentalists are saying the land in question is a biodiverse habitat, rich in native flora and fauna.

The Supreme Court advised the government of Telangana to take steps to restore the forest area in Hyderabad’s Kancha Gachibowli, which has seen protests by students and environmental activists over alleged unauthorised tree-felling.

“We are putting you on guard,” the top court told the Telangana government, while observing that rushed bulldozing activities during a long weekend over around 100 acres of the Kancha Gachibowli forest last month seemed “pre-planned”. “You (officers involved in bulldozing) have taken advantage of a long weekend. Haven’t you seen the photos? Bulldozers were deployed, the activity was pre-planned,” the Bench said.

Abhishek Singhvi, arguing for the Telangana government, said he should be given an opportunity to convince the court that IT Park and ecology can go together, while insisting that no activity is happening as of now on the Kancha Gachibowli lands.

The Bench said it is an advocate of sustainable development and directed authorities to restore the forest or send half a dozen officers to temporary prison. It was further observed by counsel K. Parmeshwar said forest department ground reports suggest that 60 per cent of the forest that was cut was moderately or heavily dense forest. He further suggested that forest restoration is a time-sensitive exercise and should be carried out keeping the monsoon season in mind. The next hearing will be held on July 23.

The court refused to hear a petition seeking quashing of FIRs against students who were whistleblowers in the case, asking them to approach appropriate courts in the matter.

A month ago, a Bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih had issued a warning to the state government, saying it “can’t have high-rises in the company of deer.” It said deforestation of the area adjacent to the Hyderabad Central University campus had taken place “without permission of authorities”. They also criticised the loss of habitats of animals, pointing to videos showing “herbivorous animals running to seek shelter… bitten by stray dogs”.

“If you want to save your Chief Secretary… tell us how you will restore those 100 acres. Come up with a plan… otherwise we don’t know how many of your officers will go to temporary (jail),” Justice Gavai had said.

The controversy over the Kancha Gachobowli land stems from the Congress’ plans to redevelop around 400 acres adjacent to the university. This led to protests from students and activists, who have argued the use of bulldozers violates Supreme Court orders and endangers wildlife in the area.

Citing that the land is home to many species of animals and birds, the Vata Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, had sought deemed forest status and demanded it be declared a ‘national park’ under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

Environmentalists say the land in question is a biodiverse habitat, rich in native flora and fauna. It is home to 233 species of birds and houses the Murricia Hyderabadensis, a rare spider species unique to this forest patch. Also listed are three reptile and 27 bird species under Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 – denoting their endangered status.

Further, the area includes 72 tree species and ancient mushroom rock formations estimated to be over two billion years old.

The Telangana government has clarified it has not taken land belonging to the university, and criticised the opposition BRS and BJP for spreading lies about the land for political gains.

The Congress-led government first introduced land monetisation through auctions under YS Rajashekhara Reddy and has since become standard policy in Telangana. Facing a staggering debt estimated to cross Rs 5 lakh crore by the end of FY 2025-26, the newly elected Congress government under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is looking to raise funds through land auctions to support welfare schemes. The Chief Minister has acknowledged the lack of funds for capital expenditure, underlining the financial pressures driving the auction of Kancha Gachibowli.

Noting the “glaring issue” in which a vast stretch of notified forest land was still in possession of the revenue department, the supreme court asked all the states and UTs to hand over possession of such lands to the forest department.

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed all states and union territories to constitute special investigation teams to examine if any reserved forest land in possession of the revenue department was allotted to any private parties for non-forestry purpose.

Noting the “glaring issue” in which a vast stretch of notified forest land was still in possession of the revenue department, the supreme court asked all the states and UTs to hand over possession of such lands to the forest department.

A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Augustine George Masih and K Vinod Chandran referred to a report of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) which pointed to evidence to show that many forest lands were allotted to private persons or institutions for non-forestry purposes.

“We further direct the chief secretaries of all the states and the administrators of all the Union Territories to constitute special investigation teams for the purpose of examining as to whether any of the reserved forest land in the possession of the revenue department has been allotted to any private individuals/institutions for any purpose other than the forestry purpose,” the bench said.

The states and UTs were also directed to take steps to retrieve possession of such lands and handover the same to the forest department.

“In case, it is found that taking back the possession of the land would not be in the larger public interest, the state governments/Union Territories should recover the cost of the said land from the persons/institutions to whom they were allotted and use the said amount for the purpose of development of forests,” the bench said in its 88-page verdict.

It also directed the states and UTs to constitute special teams to ensure that all such transfers take place within a year.

“Needless to state that hereinafter such land should be used only for the purpose of afforestation,” the bench said.

The top court delivered its verdict in a matter related to reserved forest land in Pune.

The bench held that the allotment of 11.89 hectare of the reserved forest land in village Kondhwa Budruk in Pune for agriculture purposes on August 28, 1998 and subsequent permission given for its sale in favour of Richie Rich Cooperative Housing Society Limited (RRCHS) on October 30, 1999 was “totally illegal”.

“We also have no hesitation to hold that the then minister for revenue and the then divisional commissioner, Pune, have given a total go-bye to the doctrine of public trust inasmuch as, valuable forest land was allotted to the ‘Chavan family’ de hors the provisions of the law,” it said.

The bench noted the land was allotted in favour of one “Chavan family” in 1998.

“The present matter is a classic example as to how the nexus between the politicians, bureaucrats and the builders can result in the conversion of precious forest land for commercial purposes under the garb of resettlement of people belonging to the backward class from whose ancestors, agricultural land was acquired for public purpose,” it said.

The top court, as a result, quashed the environmental clearance granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) on July 3, 2007 to RRCHS.

The MoEF had granted environmental clearance for construction of a residential, shopping and IT complex.

The bench said since the state had recalled the communication of August 4, 1998 approving allotment of the land to “Chavan family” and it upheld the same.

It directed that possession of the subject land, which is reserved as a forest land but is in possession of the revenue department, should be handed over to the forest department within three months.

The bench said for permitting any non-forest activity within the area of any “forest”, it was necessary to have prior approval of the Central government.

The RRCHS, it noted, knowing very well that the land was a forest land, entered into transactions with the members of the “Chavan family” much prior to the land even being allotted in their favour.

“The transactions between the RRCHS and the members of the ‘Chavan family’ were totally illegal and contrary to the conditions on which the land was allotted to the ‘Chavan family’,” the bench said.

The “alarming speed” with which the events took place from July to August 1998, the bench said, spoke volumes.

“We have no hesitation in holding that the then minister for revenue, government of Maharashtra and the then divisional commissioner, Pune, have acted totally in breach of public trust to illegally cause gain to private individuals at the cost of sacrificing precious forest land,” the bench said.

It said the allotment of the subject land to the “Chavan family” was in blatant disregard to the provisions of the law as it was violative of Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

Section 2 of the 1980 Act stipulates no forest land can be de-reserved or used for any non-forest purposes without the permission of the Central government.

It shows the various challenges associated with the task – from mountaineering-like climbs to high-stakes encounters.

The Chhattisgarh Police have released a video of the 21-day-long comprehensive operation against the Maoists in the dense forests around Karregutta Hills, on the state’s border with Telangana, that left at least 31 Maoists dead. 

The eight-minute video, released during a press briefing on Wednesday, shows the rough mountainous terrain and the extreme difficulties faced by the forces in reaching the Maoist stronghold. It shows the various challenges associated with the task – from mountaineering-like climbs to high-stakes encounters.

As part of operation “Black Forest”, the security personnel are seen climbing the steep slopes of hills using ropes, and dodging hidden explosives. The jawans are also seen passing through spaces in between boulders and rocks, to avoid getting detected by the Maoists, in a bid to carry out the operation.

Top rank cadres like Area Committee Members (ACMs) and Divisional Committee Members (DVCMs) were among the 31 Maoists killed by security forces during the operations.

More than 450 IEDs were recovered and defused, and hundreds of weapons, including Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), INSAS rifles, self-loading rifles and air guns were seized.

The indigenously-built Mega Sniper rifles were also recovered from a Maoist arms factory – a first in anti-Maoist operations. Besides, a handwritten manual detailing how to build sniper rifles, with technical details, was also found.

Chhattisgarh Director General of Police Arun Dev Gautam said four Maoist arms factories were busted during the operation. The Maoists had stocked enough ration for two years, assuming that the area was impenetrable to security forces.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday termed the operation as a historic breakthrough by security forces in the resolve to make the country Maoist-free.

He also said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is determined to root out Naxalism. “I once again assure the countrymen that India is sure to be Naxal-free by March 31, 2026,” he wrote in a post in Hindi on X. 

The police have registered 17 First Information Reports (FIRs) related to the operation in which the help of the National Investigation Agency is also being sought, officials said.

The project will be developed on 20 acres of forest department land near Mirzapur along the Bhuj-Mandvi road.

In a tribute to the Indian Armed Forces and the historic ‘Operation Sindoor’, the Gujarat government has announced the creation of a themed forest — Sindoor Van — on the outskirts of Bhuj.

The project will be developed on 20 acres of forest department land near Mirzapur along the Bhuj-Mandvi road, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently addressed a public gathering.

In response to the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, including 25 Indians and one Nepali national, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7. This precision military operation targeted nine high-value terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur.

The operation was meticulously planned to avoid civilian casualties and damage to non-military infrastructure.

Announcing the project, Kutch District Collector Anand Patel said, “Sindoor Van will be planted with 35 species of native plants, including the symbolic Sindoor tree, and developed as a theme-based tribute to the courage and sacrifice of India’s defence forces.”

The project aims to serve as a living memorial to the resilience and patriotism demonstrated during Operation Sindoor, and to honour the role of Kutch residents, particularly those from Madhapar, who played a vital part in repairing the Bhuj airbase during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. On the night of December 8, 1971, the Indian Air Force (IAF) airstrip in Bhuj was attacked by Pakistani jets. The runway was damaged in eight places and rendered useless. That was when 300 courageous women from Madhapar, a village 5 km from Bhuj, decided to step out. In just 72 hours, the women rebuilt the airfield, and IAF fighter planes launched counterattacks, shocking Pakistanis.

These brave citizens were felicitated during a recent event, where they also gifted Sindoor saplings to the Prime Minister. In a symbolic gesture, PM Modi said the Sindoor plant would be nurtured at the Prime Minister’s residence and eventually grow into a large banyan tree.

Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Sandeep Kumar added, “Wherever a border outpost (BOP) stands facing our defence lines, the Sindoor trees will be planted to pay homage to our troops. This forest will be a permanent salute to their service.”

Prima facie, the yet-to-be-identified animal that attacked the villagers was infected with rabies virus, although the investigation report is awaited to confirm it, they said.

In the wake of death of six persons after being bitten by an unidentified animal in Madhya Pradesh’s Barwani district recently, the forest department has intensified its search operation after local residents informed the authorities about sighting a hyena in the area, officials said on Wednesday.

Prima facie, the yet-to-be-identified animal that attacked the villagers was infected with rabies virus, although the investigation report is awaited to confirm it, they said.

An unidentified animal attacked 17 people in Limbai village and its surrounding areas in the early hours of May 5 when they were asleep outside their homes due to heat. Six of these 17 people died between May 23 and June 2. After being bitten by the animal, all the 17 people had been given anti-rabies vaccines, the officials said.

Talking to PTI, Forest Range Officer (Ranger) Vikas Jamre said, “People of Limbai village have informed us that a hyena was spotted in the surrounding areas. Pugmarks suspected to be of the animal have also been found there. After this, we have intensified our search operation.” Forty-five personnel of the forest department are involved in the operation to search the hyena within the 15-km radius of Limbai village. The forest boundary is about 4.50 km away from the village, he said.

“The suspected pugmarks of the hyena are being investigated. It has not been confirmed yet whether these footprints are of a hyena,” Jamre said.

Barwani’s Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Surekha Jamre said, “A 35-year-old man among those who fell ill after the attack by the unknown animal is admitted in the district hospital and his condition is stable. Remaining others are also fine.” The brain tissue of the person who died after being bitten and saliva samples of the surviving patients have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune to confirm whether they were infected with rabies virus or not, she said.

Dr Arvind Ghanghoria, dean of Indore-based Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, said, “We suspect that six people from Barwani district have died due to rabies. To confirm this, the brain tissue of a deceased person has been sent to a laboratory in Delhi for testing. Its report is awaited.”

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