In Brief
A tribal rights organization challenged a High Court order dismissing a writ petition as barred by res judicata. The earlier petition (2004) addressed illegal forest excavations and a 2007 incident of a forest ranger beating tribals. The new petition (2010) raised additional instances of alleged false cases against tribals and police inaction. The Supreme Court held that independent grievances are not barred merely because they predate a prior order. Rather than remit to the High Court, the Court constituted District-level Grievance Redressal Authorities to investigate complaints and report within three months, emphasizing that the case must proceed on merits without the Court prejudging any issue.
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