Viswajeet Khanna And Ors vs Sukhwinder Singh And Ors

The Supreme Court set aside the contempt proceedings against the appellants initiated by the High Court, holding that the Chief Secretary's report on forest land identification, submitted under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, could be challenged in the High Court. The Court emphasized that the identification must be based on government records as of 25.10.1980 and not on satellite imagery from 17.05.1981. The Court directed the respondents to approach the High Court for any challenges to the report, thereby disposing of the appeals without costs.