STATE OF JAMMU & KASHMIR vs ROMESH CHANDER .

The Supreme Court addressed the validity of the Jammu and Kashmir Nationalisation of Forest Working Act, 1985, which vested all timber in the State, overriding existing leases. The Court held that the administrative order directing contractors to complete timber extraction was valid until the enactment of the Act, which took effect on September 24, 1985. The Court ruled that the timber rights of the respondents were extinguished by the Act, affirming the High Court's decision to stay the earlier government order.