Supreme Court Affirms Forest Department's Authority Over 600-Acre Tract in Bhadradri Kothagudem

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court of India has upheld the Forest Department's claims to approximately 600 acres of contested land located in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, dismissing a civil appeal filed by the claimants.

The contentious parcel is situated in Survey No. 81 of Kalvala Nagaram village within Karakagudem mandal. The government had sought to bring the land under Reserved Forest designation through a Gazette notification issued on February 6, 1950.

The petitioners had asserted that the land had been granted to them during the Nizam's rule, specifically between 1931 and 1933 Fasli, and requested that it be exempted from forest classification. However, their case was undermined by their inability to furnish credible ownership documentation to the authorities.

The Forest Department's position found support in official government records. When the matter came before the Khammam Joint Collector on May 19, 2003, the official rejected the petitioners' claims, noting that government records consistently identified the property as forest land.

The petitioners subsequently approached the Telangana High Court to challenge this decision. A Single Judge initially ruled in their favour, but this judgment was later overturned by a Division Bench, which reinstated the government's position regarding the disputed property.

The case ultimately escalated to the Supreme Court, where the bench delivered its final judgment. The court established an important legal principle: documents such as Faisal Patti, Wasool Baqi, and Pahanis—traditional revenue instruments—can only demonstrate possession and cannot serve as proof of ownership rights.

The Supreme Court further noted that courts lack the authority to issue title declarations through writ petitions. The bench explicitly critiqued the Single Judge's earlier order while endorsing both the Division Bench judgment and the Joint Collector's original findings.

With its dismissal of the civil appeal, the Supreme Court has conclusively reaffirmed the Forest Department's ownership and control over the land in question.