In Brief
The State of Kerala challenged a High Court judgment that had found a 1-acre property in Kannur district was not a private forest under the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971. The property was claimed to be a private forest vesting in the State, but a local inspection report showed it was cultivated with cashew and rubber trees over 30–40 years old, with no forest trees present. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's factual finding that the property, being under cultivation, did not meet the definition of a private forest. The appeal was dismissed as devoid of merit.
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