The Supreme Court on Monday, in a significant order, directed that the expression ‘forest’ will continue to have a “broad and all-encompassing” meaning for the time being, and include 1.97 lakh square km of undeclared forest lands.
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud passed the order on petitions challenging the amendments introduced in 2023 to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The 1980 statute was enacted to check further deforestation leading to ecological imbalance.
