BJP's "intentional" non-implementation of FRA: Political parties told to up the ante

Counterview Desk
India's top land rights network Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA) in a statement has said that the recent Supreme Court verdict on Forest Rights Act (FRA) is a continuation of historic Injustices over Adivasis and other forest dwelling communities, insisting, if implemented, FRA 2006 would become "dysfunctional".
It warns, the order "will definitely see more unrest in various parts across India which will be leading to the impoverishment of the tribals and other forest dwelling communities."

Text of the BAA statement:

New Delhi, February 21: The recent order of the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the Wildlife Trust of India, Nature Conservation Society and Tiger Research and Conservation Trust evicting of more than a million forest dwellers whose claims under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) has been ‘rejected’, is in line with the sustained attack by the pro-corporate and conservation lobby since enactment of the Act in 2006 in the name of public interest.
By blocking the process of claiming and reclaiming of forest rights of the forest dwellers this order will make the process of implementation of FRA 2006 dysfunctional. FRA – Bhumi Adhikaar Andolan (BAA) will appeal this order and will not be mute spectator to the spectre of terror to be unleashed in the forest areas.
We urge political parties to oppose this and not fall victim to the malicious propaganda of the wild life groups and rather engage in effective implementation of FRA. As the General Elections approach, there is a need for open political debate on intentional non-implementation of FRA by the government agencies, in connivance with corporate forces and so-called wild life protection groups.
It is to be noted that as per the provisions of the Act under section 12 that Gram Sabha has supreme power over a number of committees and their recommendations along with that of the Forest Rights Committees have precedence over the technical ‘rejections’ by the district and other committees.
Other committees at sub-division or district level can only ask for reviewing these claims. The Court seems to have overlooked this critical point. In absence of the Union government’s lawyer in various hearings the details and processes of recognition and rejection of claims has been overlooked and the affidavits filed by the State governments have not been thoroughly discussed and looked into.
The absence of the government’s lawyer during the hearings only reinforces the predominance of colonial mindset against forest people in this legal process and how the government views their rights and welfare.
This order, if followed, can become a pretext for forest officials to attack lakhs of forest dwellers across the country, preventing which was the very purpose for enacting the law. This Act was enacted in order to remedy the historical injustice committed by the colonial rulers as well as after independence against the country's forest dwellers.
The last time country-wide evictions took place was in 2002-04, by an order issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), under the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government (that too with a passing reference to a non-existent Supreme Court order of November 23, 2001) in giving a wrong impression that evictions had been ordered by the Supreme Court to all the state and union territories.
It was stated that approximately 12.50 lakh hectares of forest land is under encroachment and that "all encroachments which are not eligible for regularisation should be summarily evicted in a time bound manner and in any case not later than September 30, 2002."
Is another historic injustice about to be committed against them yet again? At least two thirds of the country's forest lands are tribal lands under the Vth Schedule of the constitution. The implementation of this order will definitely see more unrest in various parts across India which will be leading to the impoverishment of the tribals and other forest dwelling communities.
With this draconian order, even the status of right holders, who have already received the rights will be endangered. In all probability they would also be attacked by the forest department and by the mafias engaged by the companies.
It needs to be noted that the historic Kisan Long March to Mumbai undertaken by farmers and adivasis last year, and happening even now, as we write this, also raised the large scale irregularities in the settlement of claims under FRA.
Communities across the country are still struggling to ensure proper implementation of the Act since governments have not shown any political will and made every attempt to dilute the law and also violate it in name of development and conservation.
Forest Rights Alliance - Bhumi Adhikar Andolan condemns the lackadaisical attitude of the NDA government and demands effective implementation of the FRA and subvert any attempt at diluting the law and stop from proceeding to forced evictions in light of the current Supreme Court law.
We also demand that government issue an Ordinance in larger interest of protecting rights of forest dwellers to stop any evictions in the name of implementing the Supreme Court order and prevent attempts of further harassment.

Comments

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

India’s green energy push faces talent crunch amidst record growth at 16% CAGR

By Jag Jivan* A new study by a top consulting firm has found that India’s cleantech sector is entering a decisive growth phase, with strong policy backing, record capacity additions and surging investor interest, but facing mounting pressure on talent supply and rising compensation costs .

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

Beyond sattvik: Purity, caste and the politics of the Indian kitchen

By Rajiv Shah A few week ago, I was forwarded an article that appeared in the British weekly The Economist . Titled “Caste and cuisine: From honeycomb curry to blood fry: India’s ‘untouchable’ cooking”, it took me back to what I had blogged about what was called a “ sattvik food festival”, an annual event organised by former Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad professor Anil Gupta.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

Search This Blog