Supreme Court Upholds Forest Rights Over 600 Acres
HYDERABAD: The Supreme Court has upheld the ownership of nearly 600 acres of disputed land in Bhadradri Kothagudem district as reserve forest land, bringing an end to a long-running legal dispute.
The land is located in Survey No. 81 of Kalavala Nagaram village in Karakagudem mandal. The government had proposed including the land in the reserve forest area through a gazette notification issued on February 6, 1950.
Petitioners Fail To Establish Land Ownership
Some petitioners claimed that the land had been granted to them during the Nizam period between 1931 and 1933 Fasli. They sought exclusion of the land from the forest limits and approached the court.
However, the then Khammam joint collector rejected their claim on May 19, 2003, after they failed to produce documentary proof supporting ownership. Revenue and land records identified the land as forest area.
Supreme Court Backs Division Bench Verdict
The petitioners challenged the decision in the high court. A single judge initially ruled in their favour. Later, a division bench set aside that order and upheld the government’s stand.
The matter eventually reached the Supreme Court, where the petitioners also failed to secure relief.
The apex court observed that revenue records such as Faisal Patti, Vasool Baqi and Pahanis do not by themselves establish ownership rights over land. The court said such records could at best indicate possession.
It also noted that the land had long been classified as forest land in official records.
The Supreme Court further held that declaration of title rights through a writ petition was not legally sustainable. It upheld the division bench judgment as well as the then Khammam joint collector’s decision.
The civil appeal was consequently dismissed.
