New Delhi: A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court has refused to roll back its order that has asked states and Union territories to form a special investigation teams for identifying reserved forest land illegally diverted to private entities and restore the same to forest departments.
The bench was headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant. It has dismissed a curative petition filed against its 2025 judgment in the connection to the case of Richie Rich Cooperative Housing Society. The housing society in Pune had allegedly allotted 11.89 hectares, falling within a reserved forest area in 1999.
The allotment was set aside by the top court. Thereafter, it directed all states and Union territories to identify reserved forest land being diverted to private parties.
The society had filed the curative petition after its review petition was dismissed in August 2025 by another bench headed by then CJI BR Gavai. That verdict was pronounced by Gavai’s bench, also comprising justices Masih and Chandran.
The curative plea was filed after senior advocate Dama Sesadari Naidu held that grounds for filing a curative petition were made out, reported HT.
