UTKAL CONTRACTORS & JOINERY PRIVATE LIMITED &ORS. ETC. vs STATE OF ORISSA & ORS.

The Supreme Court held that the Orissa Forest Produce (Control of Trade) Act, 1981, specifically Sections 5(1)(a) and 5(1)(b), does not apply to forest produce grown in Government forests, thereby ruling that the notification issued under the Act could not rescind existing contracts for the collection and sale of sal seeds. The Court emphasized that the Act's purpose is to create a monopoly in forest produce from private holdings, not to affect Government lands. Consequently, the appeals were allowed, and the contracts with the appellants were upheld as valid.