In Brief
The appellants purchased 100 acres of forest land in Kerala and claimed exemption from automatic vesting in the State under the Kerala Private Forest Act, 1971, arguing they were cultivating agricultural crops. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's dismissal, holding that three separate Commissioner inspections found no evidence of agricultural cultivation on or before the vesting date (10.05.1971)—only forest plantations planted after vesting. The Court held the land properly vested in the State, and the appellants failed to meet the exemption requirements. The Court affirmed a limited exemption for 7.85 acres that the appellants retained after ceiling calculations.
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