File status report on encroachments, court tells govt

Legal Correspondent

Shimla, July 11

The HP High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to file fresh status report mentioning the action taken by it for evicting the forest land from the encroachers.

During the course of hearing amicus curie appointed by the court for its assistance has also supplied the list of eight persons by saying that they have also encroached big chunk of forest land in Shimla district. After taking on record the court directed the forest department to take appropriate action against the encroachers.

Advocate General Ashok Sharma assured the court that the orders passed by this court were complied with in letter and spirit and the encroachments on the forest land would be removed as per directions of the court.

On this order a division bench comprising the acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan further directed the state to file fresh status report and listed the matter for further hearing on July 20.

In its earlier order taking a serious note on the issue of forest encroachments, the court had observed, “It is highly regrettable that despite repeated orders and severe indictment by this court, the state authorities have not cared to implement the same. This court can only pass orders and it is for the authorities to obey or assail the same before the higher court. If the orders are not assailed, then the authorities have no option but to obey such orders, both in letter and spirit.”

Prior to this the court had constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team to evict those cases wherein encroachment was found to be more than 100 bighas of land.