The Supreme Court has directed the immediate removal of encroachers and illegal structures from the Agasthyamalai landscape in South India.
A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued the order on May 30. It covers multiple protected areas including the Periyar Tiger Reserve and Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve. The court cited reports showing more than 4,600 encroachers on over 5,000 hectares in one reserve alone.
The directions include a time-bound eviction plan to be submitted to the Central Empowered Committee within a month. All illegal resorts and government facilities inside forest areas must be dismantled within six months. Stringent action is ordered against officials who permitted the violations.
The court noted that 118 serving and retired government employees were among the encroachers. It scheduled further monitoring for September 1, 2026. Rajesh Ravindran, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests for Kerala, said the state would follow the judgment.