Tamil Nadu to challenge SC eviction order for Megamalai region

Tamil Nadu has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against its order directing the eviction of people from the Megamalai region in Theni district. Law Minister R. Nirmalkumar told the Assembly on Monday that the petition was filed following Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's direction. The case is likely to be heard on Wednesday.

The eviction notices, issued by the Forest Department in recent weeks, affect thousands of households in the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve on the Tamil Nadu side. The Hindu reports the Supreme Court, based on Central Empowered Committee recommendations, ordered a time-bound eviction plan, penalties against 118 government servant encroachers, and a ban on new non-forest activities until all encroachments are removed. The court also directed the CEC to consider deploying paramilitary forces if the state fails to comply.

The minister blamed successive DMK and AIADMK governments for failing to handle the issue properly, saying the region was declared a reserve forest in 2009 and a tiger reserve in 2021. The Hindu notes the Forest Rights Act of 2006 was meant to protect forest dwellers, but critics say it has been ignored by courts and officials. Parliament enacted the Act to undo historical injustice, but the FRA's verification process has been poorly implemented.