MUMBAI: The state forest department is waging a legal battle to recover 1,500 acres of forest land in Palghar district, which has been transferred to a private individual. The department has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, urging a stay on an order of the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal (MRT) awarding the land to the Lele family, and a subsequent contempt order delivered by the Bombay High Court.
Details
Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, the state’s chief conservator of forests, said, “We have submitted the SLP in the Supreme Court and have demanded an immediate stay on the decision.”
The 1,500 acres in Wada taluka in Palghar district is former ‘inam land’, a grant given to the Lele family by the erstwhile British colonial government. Post-Independence, the land was acquired by the state forest department in the 1960s.
However, Bhushan Vartak, who holds power of attorney for the Lele family, filed a petition in the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal (MRT), seeking transfer of the land to the Leles. Although the tribunal ruled in favour of the petitioner, the district collector did not execute the transfer, prompting the Leles to file a contempt petition in the Bombay High Court.
After the court ruled in favour of the Leles on March 5, 2026, the Palghar district administration on July 27 transferred the 1,500 acres to the petitioner. The forest department now wants to reclaim the land.
Officials from the forest department in Palghar claimed the department was unable to represent its case in court as the court delivered its verdict within a few days of the petition being filed. The forest department has also issued a public appeal to alert citizens to the legal dispute, advising them to steer clear of purchasing this land.
Thane land transfer on hold
In another similar case, state revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday announced that the transfer of 1,053 acres in Thane’s Ghodbundar Road in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park notified area is on hold. The minister said the forest department’s name would continue to stay on the land record document for the time being.
The matter relates to 1,053 acres of land that was in the forest department’s possession since 1975. Kapil Sharma and others submitted a petition before the MRT, which ruled in Sharma’s favour. The matter was placed before Bawankule for hearing, who upheld the decision of the MRT.
However, the forest department urged the minister to give it a chance to present its case but Sharma approached the high court, urging it to uphold the MRT order. Bawankule has since issued an administrative decision putting the transfer of land on hold.
