Meera Bhardwaj:
The imminent loss of nearly 500 acres of reserve forest land in Bengaluru has galvanized the state govt to initiate action. Activists say the Karnataka Forest Department is on the verge of losing nearly 500 acres of reserve forest land in B M Kaval Forest area, Kengeri, Bangalore South Taluk, Bengaluru to an individual from Hassan district. However, the Karnataka Forest Minister has assured immediate action to stop the grabbing of forest lands in the state as well as in Bengaluru.
This alleged conspiracy to grab prime forest land in Bengaluru has happened due to multiple and glaring lapses in a Writ Petition (No. 13975/2025) filed by M B Nemanna Gowda in the Karnataka High Court. The writ petition was filed on 13 August, 2025 claiming private title over 532 acres of forest land in Bengaluru.
The B M Kaval forests are home to a vital population of leopards which frequently move from a connected network of forests between Bannerghatta National Park to U M Kaval to Turahalli forests.
SHOCKING INTERIM ORDERS
Shockingly, on the 30.8.2025, the Karnataka High Court passed an interim order directing the Bangalore South Tahsildar to verify the petitioner’s name and enter his name in the revenue records within three months of the order received (that is by November 29, 2025). Further, the High Court posted the matter for further hearing on September 1st, 2025. However, due to a glaring error, the Karnataka High Court website showed the next date of hearing as December 1st, 2025.
Due to the Karnataka High Court website error, the Karnataka Forest Department remained completely unaware of the petition and the shocking interim order. Therefore, “no objections” were filed even as of 27 November 2025 and further, the Tahsildar did not submit any verification report. Due to these glaring lapses and errors, the “500 acres of reserve forest land” is now in serious danger of being handed over to a private individual from Hassan district.
GLARING CONSPIRACY
In the wake of this glaring conspiracy, Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre called a meeting on Friday and instructed the higher authorities to register a complaint at the concerned police station against those who create fake records and false documents and try to grab forest land, and take legal action, thereby, ensuring that they are punished.
Activists said, “This case exposes the shocking negligence on the part of both Karnataka Forest Department and Revenue Department, and also highlights a systemic failure that can be exploited by greedy individuals to grab hundreds of thousands of acres of forest land across the country. There is a need to constitute an independent enquiry team to investigate the entire matter within a time-bound period of 30 days.”
ESHWAR KHANDRE INITIATES ACTION
With increasing attempts to encroach on valuable forest land in Karnataka, Khandre held a meeting with senior forest officials and directed them to file an appeal for the protection of about 482 acres of reserve forest land valued about Rs 25,000 crores in the B M Kaval forest area near Kengeri, Bengaluru.
Expressing surprise that the Karnataka High Court had issued the order within 17 days that is on August 30, 2025, the Forest Minister suggested that an appeal should be filed immediately challenging this verdict.
Eshwar Khandre added, “The petitioner Nemanna Gowda has claimed that Special Deputy Commissioner for Inam Abolition, Hassan division had allotted 532 acres in B M Kaval forest land in Bengaluru in 1974. And is now claiming occupancy rights under Inam Abolition Act. But this said land was notified under Section 4 in 1933 and has been notified as a “reserve forest” in 1935. Now how does the Hassan Special Deputy Commissioner allocate a notified forest land in Bengaluru to this person under the existing norms?”
Khandre asked senior forest officials to bring all these issues to the attention of the Karnataka High Court and present a competent argument, such as whether there is a legal provision to sanction 532 acres of forest land in Bengaluru to a private claimant from Hassan and whether the Land Limitation Act does not apply to this case?
APPOINTMENT OF LAWYERS FOR FOREST GRABBING CASES
The Forest Minister also expressed dissatisfaction over government prosecutors in Karnataka not providing information in this forest land grabbing case until the last moment and expressed deep dissatisfaction over the government lawyers expressing the opinion that even in some eligible cases, it is not suitable for appeal.
Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty, who was present at the meeting, told the government prosecutors and additional advocates general to appoint competent lawyers and present arguments effectively in forest land encroachment and encroachment cases. It is necessary to appoint lawyers separately from the department in 6-7 districts where forest encroachment cases are high and hold weekly meetings with them to know the progress. Therefore, he told the officials to submit a proposal for the appointment of lawyers.
A BIG CONSPIRACY TO GRAB FOREST LAND
In this case, it is apparent that there was a big conspiracy to grab forest land. The Mudigere Sub-Divisional Officer, who had earlier investigated the appeal filed by some people including the same person, had instructed the Assistant Conservator of Forests to register a case at the police station against those who have created false documents and grabbed government land. However, the Forest Minister has also instructed to take action against the forest officials who have delayed this issue.
Eshwar Khandre instructed the forest officials to take strict action against those who have grabbed forest land and those who cooperated in the forest land grabbing conspiracy. The meeting was attended by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Forest Force Chief Meenakshi Negi and other officials.