SC directs states & UTs to constitute SITs, examine status of forest land

New Delhi, May 15: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed all the states and union territories to constitute special investigation teams to examine if any reserved forest land was allotted to any private parties for non-forestry purpose.
A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Augustine George Masih and K Vinod Chandran directed the states and UTs to take steps to take back 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. (PTI)