The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre and state governments to refrain from taking any action that would result in a reduction of forest areas, until further orders.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and K Vinod Chandran issued the interim order while hearing petitions challenging amendments to the Forest Conservation Act of 2023. The bench stated, “We will not permit any action that leads to a reduction in forest area. Until further orders, no steps will be taken by the Union of India or any state that will reduce forest land, unless compensatory land is provided.”

The Centre’s counsel, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, assured the court that a response to the petitions would be submitted within three weeks, along with a status report before the next hearing.

The petitions specifically challenge changes to the Forest Conservation Act made through the 2023 amendments. The petitioners argue that the amendments narrow the definition of “forest,” potentially making 1.99 lakh square kilometers of land available for non-forest use. The court had previously expressed concern over these changes, particularly the exclusion of vast forest areas from legal protection.

The Supreme Court also mandated that any proposal for establishing zoos or safaris in non-protected forest areas would require prior approval from the court. Furthermore, the state governments and union territories have been instructed to provide detailed information on forest lands in their jurisdiction by 31 March 2024. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is required to publish this data on its website by 15 April 2024.

The case will be heard again on 4 March 2025.