HC revokes ‘private forest’ status, raps state government

The Bombay High Court revoked the 'private forest' status of land parcels in 184 cases, ruling the state government's declaration invalid.

The court cited non-compliance with mandatory notice under Section 35(3) of the Indian Forest Act, as required by Supreme Court decisions in Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Ltd vs Maharashtra (2014) and Rohan Vijay Nahar vs Maharashtra (2025).

Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande criticized the state's 'obstinacy' and 'defiant approach' for continuing to ignore the apex court's rulings.

The Maharashtra government had declared lands as 'private forest' under the Maharashtra Private Forests (Acquisition) Act, 1975, without proper procedure, leading to legal challenges.