T.N. Godavarman case - The Legal Chamber

The Supreme Court quashed the Madhya Pradesh Government Order (G.O.) dated 29th June 2024, which allowed IAS officers to evaluate Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers' Performance Appraisal Reports (PAR). Reaffirming its 2000 ruling, the Court held that IFS officers up to the rank of Additional Principal Chief Conservator must be assessed by their departmental superiors, not IAS officers, to maintain service hierarchy and accountability under the All-India Services (Confidential Rolls) Rules, 1970. The State was directed to amend its rules within one month to comply with this mandate. Facts Of The Case: The case arose from a challenge to the Madhya Pradesh Government Order (G.O.) dated 29th June 2024, which mandated that Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers – specifically Distric...

The Supreme Court ruled that the allotment of 11.89 hectares of reserved forest land in Pune for non-forest purposes violated Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and the public trust doctrine. It quashed the illegal allotment to private builders, ordered restoration of the land to the Forest Department, and mandated a nationwide audit of similarly diverted forest lands. The judgment reaffirmed the state's fiduciary duty to protect forest resources and prohibited their conversion for commercial use without Central approval. Violations were held irreparable even under the doctrine of desuetude. Facts Of The Case: The case involved 11.89 hectares of reserved forest land in Pune's Kondhwa Budruk village, originally notified under the Indian Forest Act, 1878. In 1968, the land wa...

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