In Brief
M/S Natesan Agencies held a five-year lease of plantation land that was included in a wildlife sanctuary in 1976. A subsequent 25-year lease was granted but later disputed. The State excluded the land from the sanctuary in 1993, but the High Court dismissed the lessee's writ petition while leaving open a damages claim. The lessee sued for compensation for loss of use from 1976-1993, but the High Court dismissed the suit, finding no valid lease rights existed after the sanctuary notification and no evidence the State prevented access. The Supreme Court dismissed the review petition, finding no error in the original judgment and confirming that environmental protection statutes preclude revival of lease rights once land is notified for sanctuary inclusion.
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