Supreme Court of India · 1973-09-18
STATE OF KERALA AND ANR. vs THE GWALIOR RAYON SILK MANUFACTURING (WVG.) CO. LTD. ETC.
- Citation / case number
- SC 1972/60330
- Court
- Supreme Court of India
- Petitioner
- STATE OF KERALA AND ANR.
- Respondent
- THE GWALIOR RAYON SILK MANUFACTURING (WVG.) CO. LTD. ETC.
- Author
- SIKRI, S.M. (),PALEKAR, D.G.,CHANDRACHUD, Y.V.,BHAGWATI, P.N.,KRISHNAIYER, V.R.
- Bench
- SIKRI, S.M. (CJ),PALEKAR, D.G.,CHANDRACHUD, Y.V.,BHAGWATI, P.N.,KRISHNAIYER, V.R.
Judgment text excerpt
The Supreme Court upheld the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971, ruling that it qualifies for protection under Article 31A(1) of the Constitution. The Court found that forest lands held under Janman right can be considered 'estates' as per sub-clause (i) of Article 31A(2). It rejected the argument that such lands could not be classified as agricultural, emphasizing that the Act's purpose aligns with agrarian reform objectives. Consequently, the Court allowed the appeals and dismissed the petitions challenging the Act's constitutionality.