Supreme Court of India

Abdul Khalek v. The State of Assam

Neutral citation
Bench Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Alok Aradhe JJ.
Decided 10 February 2026

INSC stands for INDIAN SUPREME COURT. A neutral citation scheme assigned by the Court itself, so a judgment can be cited without depending on a commercial law reporter. INSC is the neutral citation scheme assigned by the Supreme Court, so a judgment can be cited without depending on a commercial law reporter.

What the Court ordered

Accordingly, the judgment dated 18.08.2025 passed by the Division Bench and orders dated 03.11.2025, 06.11.2025, 12.11.2025 and 17.11.2025 passed in W.P. (C) Nos. 6191/2025, 6192/2025, 6418/2025 and W.P. (C) No.6167/2025 respectively, by learned Single Judge, of the High Court, are substituted and modified. … Accordingly, the appeals as well as Writ Petitions are disposed of. There shall be no order as to costs.

Judgment, 14, 16-17

In brief

The appellants and writ petitioners are residents of villages situated within the Doyang, South Nambar, Jamuna Madunga, Barpani, Lutumai and Gola Ghat reserved forests in Assam, who claim that they and their predecessors have lived there for over seventy years and that their presence is acknowledged by Aadhaar cards, ration cards and other State-issued documents. The State maintained that the areas were notified as reserved forests in 1887 and 1888, that the occupants have no legal right to the land, and that approximately 3,62,082 hectares, nearly 19.92% of the State's forest area, is under encroachment which has been diverted to residential, agricultural and other non-forest uses.…

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