Forests a national asset and a major contributor to financial wealth, SC judgment

The Supreme Court asserted in a judgment that forests in India are a national asset and a major contributor to the nation’s financial wealth

The Supreme Court asserted in a judgment that forests in India are a national asset and a major contributor to the nation’s financial wealth.

“It is the spirit of the forest that moves the earth,” a Bench headed by Justice M.M. Sundresh observed in a judgment based on appeal filed by the State of Telangana against a High Court decision “graciously gifting” forest land to a private person. The State’s forest officials, expected to preserve the forest, had made matters worse by filing conflicting affidavits in court about the nature of the land in question. The apex court ordered ₹5 lakh in costs from both the State government and the private persons. The State was asked to open an enquiry against its own forest officials. 

Also read: What is the Supreme Court’s interim order on the Forest Act? | Explained

The judgment has come at a pivotal time when the controversial Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act of 2023 or FCAA has attracted widespread criticism. The FCAA is accused of giving a free hand to States to regularise encroachments in protected forests and determine diversions of forestlands. The Act has been criticised for paving the way for the commercial exploitation of forests, besides exempting infrastructural projects from environmental clearance.

“Depletion and disappearance of forests would ultimately lead to a massive extinction of organisms,” Justice Sundresh, who authored the judgment pronounced on April 18, observed.

The court said concepts of carbon credit and green accounting to evaluate a nation’s wealth has become a reality.

“A country with excess forest cover would be in a position to sell its excess carbon credit to the one in deficit. This in turn underlines the significance of forests in contributing to the financial wealth of a country,” the court noted.