Chhattisgarh High Court sets aside forest rights in Hasdeo Aranya

A recent Chhattisgarh High Court decision to set aside forest rights granted to a village community in Hasdeo Aranya has sparked apprehensions from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

The court’s ruling cited that the land had been previously diverted for mining and that the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006 does not interfere with the state’s rights over mines or minerals lying underneath forest land.

Advertisement

Jairam Ramesh expressed his disappointment with the verdict, stating on handle X, “In the latest of a series of unacceptable and unprecedented events that have occurred in Hasdeo Aranya in the two years since the Modani Government has come to power in the state, a single-judge Bench of the Chhattisgarh High Court has set aside forest rights granted to a village community under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.”

He further questioned the logic behind the court’s decision, saying, “The FRA guarantees villagers access to forest produce, which cannot be sustained in the absence of rights to the land itself. The Court has now made this right conditional on Government policy. This is a dangerous verdict that undermines the entire foundation of the FRA.”

The case revolves around the community forest rights granted to the villagers of Ghatbarra in the Hasdeo Arand forest region.

The rights were granted under the Forest Rights Act of 2006, which aims to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land to forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations.

The Chhattisgarh High Court’s decision has significant implications for the region’s indigenous communities and the environment. Critics argue that the ruling prioritizes industrial interests over the rights of forest-dwelling communities, potentially leading to further displacement and ecological damage.