World · India Bureau
Centre opposes tribal leaders' intervention in Great Nicobar forest rights case
The Union government has argued before the Calcutta High Court that Nicobarese tribal leaders need not be made parties to a legal challenge questioning the validity of forest rights recognition. The dispute centres on procedural irregularities in the forest rights process that cleared the way for the ₹81,000-crore Great Nicobar development project.
LSN India ·
The Centre has submitted before the Calcutta High Court that Nicobarese tribal leaders are neither necessary nor proper parties to the ongoing legal challenge to forest rights recognition in Great Nicobar. The government's position comes as petitioners have sought to include representatives of the indigenous community in the proceedings.
At the heart of the dispute is whether the process through which forest rights were formally recognised in the island territory adhered to prescribed legal procedures. Environmental and indigenous rights groups have contested the validity of this recognition, arguing that the process lacked proper consultation and adherence to statutory requirements.
The recognition of forest rights has proven consequential, as it has been instrumental in facilitating the Centre's ambitious ₹81,000-crore Great Nicobar project. The multi-billion rupee initiative aims to develop infrastructure on the island, located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Calcutta High Court will determine whether to accept the Centre's submissions regarding the status of tribal leaders in the case. The outcome could have significant implications for both the legal validity of the forest rights process and the trajectory of the Great Nicobar development project.