Guwahati: A two-member bench of Gauhati high court on Thursday upheld a single-judge order directing the eviction of hundreds of families from four reserve forests in Assam, while granting them additional time to vacate the forest land in view of the ongoing monsoon season.The division bench comprising chief justice Ashutosh Kumar and justice Arun Dev Choudhury dismissed appeals challenging the June 8 order of justice Devashis Baruah, which had given the encroachers a 30-day window to remove their belongings and make alternative arrangements before eviction.However, taking note of the approaching peak monsoon period in Assam, the division bench extended the deadline to 45 days from June 25.“While approving the course of action provided by the learned Single Judge as regards rehabilitation, we clarify that the dismissal of the appellant’s claim to remain in occupation of the reserved forest shall not be construed as preventing the state from extending the benefit of any rehabilitation policy, scheme or executive decision that may otherwise apply to any eligible person,” the division bench said.Senior advocate AR Bhuyan appeared for the appellants, while senior advocate PN Goswami represented the respondents.The appeals were filed against the single-judge judgment that cleared the way for eviction drives in four reserve forests — Lutumari in Nagaon district, Jamuna Moudanga in Hojai, South Nambor and Doyang in Golaghat, and Borpani in Nagaon. Some of these forests were notified more than a century ago, dating back to 1917.In his order, Justice Baruah had directed state authorities to take active steps to remove the petitioners and all other encroachers if they failed to vacate the reserve forests within the stipulated period.The case arose from a batch of 12 petitions filed by 823 individuals challenging eviction notices issued by the Assam government. The petitioners had sought protection from eviction and recognition of their claims over the land.
