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Maharashtra Seeks Exemption from Forest Laws for Zudpi Jungles
25 Aug
Summary
- Maharashtra asks Supreme Court to remove Zudpi jungles from Forest Act
- Zudpi jungles historically used for non-forest purposes like grazing, schools
- CEC recommends Zudpi jungles be treated as forest land under law
On August 25, 2025, the Maharashtra government has filed a plea with the Supreme Court seeking to remove nearly 86,409 hectares of Zudpi jungle land in Vidarbha from the ambit of the Forest Act, 1980. The state argues these lands, historically classified as inferior terrain, have long been used for non-forest purposes like grazing, cremation sites, and infrastructure, and should not be subject to strict forest conservation laws.
However, this demand runs contrary to the recommendations of the Supreme Court-mandated Central Empowered Committee (CEC). In a report submitted to the top court last February, the CEC stated that the "Zudpi Jungle lands shall be considered as forest lands for all purposes" and the Forest Act, 1980 is applicable to them. The CEC only suggested that allotments made before the landmark 1996 T.N. Godavarman judgment could be deleted from forest records, but all unallotted fragmented land parcels should be declared as Protected Forests.
The Maharashtra government's plea also contradicts its own legal framework, the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, which requires the removal of encroachments and permits regularization only after charging up to five times the market value of the land. Successive state governments have consistently linked regularization with payment of fees and penalties.
Experts argue that granting the state's request would undermine the role of the judiciary and set a dangerous precedent for other states to regularize illegal encroachments on forest lands. The need, they say, is to fix accountability for past violations, address them lawfully, and improve the legal protection of forests.
