UNION OF INDIA vs ABDUL JALIL AND ORS.

The Supreme Court held that notifications under Section 5 of the Tripura Forest Act do not automatically constitute 'reserved forests' under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The Court clarified that the procedure prescribed in Chapter II, particularly Section 20, must be followed for an area to be designated as a 'reserved forest'. The Court upheld the Sessions Judge's decision that the areas in question were 'reserved forests' under the Indian Act, thus reversing the Judicial Commissioner's acquittal of the respondents.