Gauhati High Court directs families to vacate from Golaghat reserve forests, minister Pijush Hazarika hails ruling

The Gauhati High Court has directed families residing inside the Doyang and Nambor reserve forests in Assam’s Golaghat district to vacate the land within seven days, ruling that no encroacher can claim legal rights over reserved forest land.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury emphasized that past lapses in monitoring or enforcement cannot justify illegal occupation of forest areas. The court granted the state government authority to carry out evictions if the families fail to comply with the order by Sunday.

The ruling came after 74 petitioners challenged eviction notices issued by the Golaghat district administration, citing the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation of 1886, the Assam Land Policy of 2019, and a Supreme Court directive from December 2024. However, the bench dismissed the arguments, noting that the petitioners had failed to provide valid documents to establish their land rights despite being given ten days earlier this month to do so.

The court also laid down guidelines for future eviction drives, recommending that authorities provide adequate time to affected residents—fifteen days to prepare and another fifteen days to vacate—while simultaneously adopting strong preventive mechanisms. These include fencing forest boundaries, establishing permanent checkpoints, and initiating disciplinary action against officials who fail to prevent encroachments.

Stressing the need for ecological preservation, the judges said, “If any illegal entry is found, necessary penal action should be taken not only against the encroachers but also against negligent officials.”

Reacting to the verdict, Assam minister Pijush Hazarika welcomed the decision, stating it reaffirmed the rule of law. “The Hon’ble Gauhati High Court has unequivocally stated that no encroacher can claim rights over reserved forest land. Even if entry was earlier allowed due to lapses, such occupation cannot stand against lawful eviction. We remain committed to respecting our courts, laws, and Constitution,” he said.

Hazarika also criticised attempts to selectively share courtroom videos on social media, calling them misleading. “Those who misuse courtroom videos should have the courage to post the parts where the Hon’ble Court has clearly delivered its verdict,” he remarked.

According to official records, the Assam government has conducted at least nine eviction drives since June this year, displacing over 50,000 people. Many of those affected, largely Bengali-speaking Muslims, claim their families had settled in forest areas after losing agricultural land in the erosion-prone “char” regions of the Brahmaputra.