SC Dismisses Ex-J&K Minister Abdul Ghani Kohli's Plea In Forest Land Encroachment Case

The vacation bench of Justices U.U. Lalit & Aniruddha Bose observed that the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir had simply sought a response from the authorities regarding erecting building complexes.

"The High Court order simply seeks a response. No substantial question of law is emulated" the Bench noted.

The J&K High Court on February 20 had directed Jammu authorities to submit a report within four weeks, regarding raising of a building complex on forest land and in particular had sought a response from the Secretary, Board of School Education pertaining to granting of permissions for constructions on forest land.

Notice was also to the Revenue Secretary as to how the forest land was registered in the name of private persons.

The case arose when a writ petition was filed by a law student, Ankur Sharma, seeking direction for a CBI probe into encroachment of government and forest land by influential persons, relying on the 2014 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on misuse of the land acquired under the 'Roshni Scheme' under a 2001 Act that was repealed in November 2018.