Holding

Failure to achieve the statutory objectives does not invalidate the Kerala Private Forests Act, the Forest (Conservation) Act does not make it unworkable, and Section 8‑C(3) requires an actual failure to produce data, not a mere change of opinion.

Summary

The petitioners, owners of private forests in Kerala, challenged the constitutional validity of the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971, arguing that the State had failed to implement its agrarian‑reform objectives under Section 10 and that the later Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (and its 1988 amendment) made the Act impossible to execute, rendering it void. The Court examined whether a failure to achieve statutory goals can invalidate legislation and whether the two Acts are repugnant. It held that non‑fulfilment of the Act’s objectives does not make the enactment unconstitutional and that the Forest (Conservation) Act merely imposes a qualified, not absolute, restriction, so the Kerala Act remains workable. The Court also clarified that Section 8‑C(3) of the Kerala Act requires an actual failure to produce relevant data, not a mere change of opinion, and therefore the State’s review petition was untenable. Consequently, the appeal was allowed and the writ petitions were dismissed.

Issues considered

The failure of the State to fully implement the objectives of the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971, does it render the Act void or unconstitutional?
Whether the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (including its 1988 amendment) makes the implementation of the Kerala Act impossible, thereby invalidating it.
The proper interpretation of Section 8‑C(3) of the Kerala Act – what constitutes ‘failure to produce relevant data or other particulars’.
Whether the petitioners are aggrieved parties entitled to relief under the Act.

Legislation cited

Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980s. 2
Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971s. 10, s. 11, s. 2, s. 3, s. 8-C(3)
Limitation Act, 1963

Subjects

constitutional validityagrarian reformKerala Private Forests ActForest Conservation ActSection 8-C(3)review petitionArticle 31ANinth Scheduleland vestingprivate forest

Judgment

A SRI BAGAWATI TEA ESTATES LTD.
v.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA AND ORS.

FEBRUARY 3, 1995

B [B.P. JEEVAN REDDY AND SUHAS C. SEN, JJ.)

Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971-Constitu-
tional validity-Failure to fully carry out objectives as contemplated by Section
](}-Whether renders enactment void or unconstitutional-Held, No-Forest
C (Conservation) Act does not make implementation of State Act impossible.

Section 8-C(3)-Review-Words 'due to failure to produce relevant date
or other particu/ars'-Meaning and scope.

Soon after the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act,
D 1971 was enacted by the Kerala Legislature to acquire forest lands held
on Janman right as a measure of agrarian reform which had the effect of
vesting the ownership and possession of private forests in the Government,
the affected owners filed writ petitions in the High Court challenging the
constitutional validity of the enactment. A fuH Bench of the Kerala High
E Court struck down the Act holding it to be outside the protective umbrella
of Article 31A of the Constitution of India. The State of Kerala questioned
the judgment in this Court. The Constitution Bench by its order dated
18.9.1973 allowed the appeals and upheld the validity of the enactments.

Subsequently, some of the affected owners applied for exemption of
p certain portions of the private forests u/s 3. Their applications were
rejected against which they filed appeals which too were dismissed. Special
Leave Petition filed before this Court were also dismissed. After all the
aforesaid proceedings were over, the present writ petitions were filed the
petitioners for a declaration that the Kerala Act is unconstitutional and
for a direction restraining the State of Kerala and its officers from
G enforcing the provisions of the Act with respect to the private forests owned
by them prior to their vesting in the government and for restoration of
possession of the private forests to the erstwhile owners. The main ground
urged by the petitioners was that the Act has failed as a measure of
agrarian reform. It was submitted that the Act contemplates distribution
H of the forest lands so acquired to specified categories of persons for the
832
BAGAWATITEAESTATESv. G.O.I. 833

purpose of cultivation and that though a period of more than 20 years had A
elapsed since the _Act was enforced, the forests lands had not been assigned
as contemplated by Section 10, except perhaps a minor portion; that with
the enactment of the Forest(Conservation) Act, 1980, and its subsequent
amendment in 1988 the assignment of the forest land had become impos-
sible. Since the main objective of the Act has failed, it was submitted that B
the entire Act fails and the private forests must be restored to their
erstwhile owners.

In the connected appeal preferred against the judgment of the
Kerala High Court allowing a review petition filed by the State and setting
aside its earlier judgment, the appellant stated that he entered into an C
agreement to take on lease 550 acres of land in janman, he was put in
possession of the entire extent; that he raised coffee and cardomum before
May 10, 1971, the date on which the Kerala Forests (Vesting and Assign-
ment) Act, 1971 came into force; that he had been paying land tax and
basic tax for the said plantation from 1974 onwards after the plantation D
started yielding. Contending that the said extent had vested in the govern-
ment u/s 2 of the Act, he stated that the authorities encroached upon the
said extent whereupon he instituted proceedings u/s 8 of the Act before the
appropriate Tribunal alleging that the said land did not vest in the
Government u/s 3 for the reason that before the date of coming into force
of the Act it had ceased to be a private forest within the meaning of Section E
2(f). The Forest Tribunal upheld the appellant's claim against which the
State filed an appeal which was dismissed. The argument of the State that
the said agreement of lease having been entered into without obtaining
previous sanction of the Collector, as required by the Madras Preservation
of Private Forests Act, the lease was not only void but the alleged agree- F
ment of lease and delivery of possession pleaded by the appellant was not
true, was rejected by the Division Bench. The Bench held that the appellant
had indeed come into possession of the land on 7.8.1963 and had also
converted the said extent into plantation prior to 10.5.1971. This order
become final, not having been questioned by the State. ·
G
In November, 1983, Ordinance No. 39of1983 was issued amending
Section 8 of the Act and inserting new Sections 8-B and 8-D after Section
8-A in the Principal Act. Section 8-C(3) extended the period of limitation
for the State to apply for review of judgment delivered by the High Court.
The State filed a petition for reviewing the judgment of the High Court on H
834 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1995] 1 S.C.R.

A the ground of failure of the State to produce relevant date or other
particulars. The review petition was allowed and the appeal restored. This
appeal had been filed against the order of restoration of the appeal.

Dismissing the writ petition and allowing the appeal, this Court

B HELD: 1. Though the Government of Kerala has, to a large extent,
failed in carrying out the objectives of the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting
and Assignment) Act, 1971, as contemplated by Section 10, there is no
ground for holding that such failure of the government renders the enact-
ment void or unconstitutional. The Forest (C~mservation) Act, 1980 does
C not make the Kerala Act unworkable. The Conservation Act does not
prohibit the clearance of forests altogether. All that it states is that no
such clearance shall take place without the prior approval of the Central
Government. The bar is not absolute one but qualified. Even the 1988
Amendment to Forest (Conservation) Act does not make the implementa-
tion of the State Act impossible. Section 10 does not contemplate assign-
'D ment or distribution of entire private forest lands (vesting in the
government under the Act) but only a portion of it. First it requires the ,
government to reserve an appropriate portion of the acquired forests for
purposes directed towards the promotion of agriculture and other matters
mentioned therein. The remaining land has to be given out on lease or
E registry to individuals or co-operatives. All this can still be done without
violating the provisions of the Act. (841-C-F]

State of Kera/a and Anr. v. Gwalior Rayons Silk Manufacturing Com-
pany, (1974] 1 SCR 671, relied on.
F
Bhim Singh v. Union of India, (1985] Suppl. SCR 862, distinguished.

2. The word 'due to failure to produce relevant data or other
·particulars' in Section 8-C(3) of the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and
Assignment) Act, 1971, mean that it must be a failure to produce relevant
G data or particulars. It cannot mean a mere change of opinion on the same
material or on the same evidence. In the instant case, the ground on which
+
the review petition was filed was not made out and hence the order of the
Division Bench could not have been reviewed and set aside. The very
setting aside of the order was not called for until and unless one or the
H other ground specified by statute was made out. (845-F-H]
BAGAWATI TEAESTATESv. G.0.1. [JEEVAN REDDY,J.] 835

CIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION : Writ Petition (C) No. 974 of A
1991.

(Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India).

WITH
B
Writ Petition (C) No. 419 of 1989

AND

Civil Appeal No. 120 of 1986
c
R.F. Nariman, A.S. Nambiar, A.M. Singhvi, G. Vishwanatha Iyer,
Joseph Vellapally, P.P. Malhotra, A.K. Verma, S. Sukumaran, P.O. Tyagi
for J.B.D. & Co. S.Vasudevan, P.K. Manohar, Sudhir Gopi, M.M. Kashyap,
Ms. Baby Krishnan, K.V.Vishwanathan, S.R. Setia, K.S. Sohn, M.A. Firoz.,
M.T. George, S.D. Sharma, V.K. Verma, C.V.S. Rao, and T.C. Sharma for D
the appearing parties .
...
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

B.P. JEEVAN REDDY, J. WRIT PETITION (C) NOS. 974 OF 1991
AND 419 OF 1989.
E
The Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, (Act 26
of 1971) was enacted by the Kerala Legislature to acquire forest lands held
on janman right as a measure of a~arian reform. The Act did not provide
for any compens'ation being paid to the owners of these private forests. The
forest lands so vesting in government were intended to be assigned to p
landless agriculturists and agricultural labourers for cultivation. Sub-sec-
tion (1) of Section 10 says that the government shall first served such extent
of the private forest vesting in the government under the Act as may be
necessary for purposes directed towards the promotion of agriculture or
I
the welfare of the agricultural population or for purposes ancillary thereto.
Balance extent of the vested private forests were to be assigned on registry G
or lease to agriculturists, agricultural labourers, members of Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes who are willing to take up agriculture as
means of their livelihood and other categories of persons mentioned there-
in. Section 11 expected that such assignment "shall, as far as may, be
completetl within two years from the date of publication of this Act in the H
836 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1995] 1 S.C.R.

A Gazette.''

Soon after the Act was made, which had the effect of vesting the
ownership and possession of private forests in the government, the affected
owners filed writ petitions in the Kerala High Court challenging the con-
stitutional validity of the enactment. A Full Bench of the Kerala High Court
B struck down the Act holding it to be outside the protective umbrella of
Article 31A of the Constitution, which decision is reported in A.LR. 1973
Kerala 63. The State of Kerala questioned the said judgment in this Court
which, by its judgment and order dated September 18, 1973, allowed the
appeals, set aside the judgment of the Kerala High Court and upheld the
C validity of the enactment. The decision of this court is reported in State of
Kerala and Another v. Gwalior Rayons Silk Manufactwing Company, (1974]
1 S.C.R. 671. The main judgment of the Constitution Bench was delivered
by Palekar, J., while V.R. Krishna Iyer, J. delivered a separate concurring
judgment.

D
After the judgment of this court, the Government of Kerala con-
stituted a committee comprising certain high officials to study the forest
areas and to formulate guidelin~s for the assignment of the vested forests.
After receiving the report of the said committee, the government says, it
started the process of assignment. It is stated in the counter-affidavit that
E out of a total area of 2,26,975 hectares vesting in the government under the
Act, 4000 hectares has been given to tribals, cooperatives and agricultural
reforms and an additional area of 6,878 hectares has been handed over to
the revenue department for being distributed. An extent of 8000 hectares

--..
is said to be under the possession of encroachers.
F
While so, the Parliament enacted the Forest (Conservation) Act,
1980 by virtue of Entry 17A of List-III of the Seventh Schedule to the
Constitution. It may be recalled· that the subject-matter of forests was
originally in List-II but by virtue of the 42nd (Amendment) Act to the
....
Constitution, it was deleted from List-II and inserted in List-III. Section 2
G of the Forest (Conservation) Act provides that "(Notwithstanding anything
contained in any other law for the time being in force in a State, no State t
Government or other authority shall make, except with the prior approval
of the Central Government, any order directing (i) that any reserved forest
(within the meaning of the expression "reserved forest" in any law for the
H time being in force in that State) or any portion thereof, shall cease to be
BAGAWATITEAESTATESv. G.0.1. [JEEVAN REDDY,J.] 837

reserved; (ii) that any forest land or any portion thereof may be used for A
any no~-forest purpose". The explanation to Section 2 says that for the
purpose of Section 2 'non-forest purposes' means breaking up or clearing
of any forest land or portion thereof for any purpose other than reaffores-
tation. The enactment of the Conservation Act certainly placed an hurdle
in the way of the implementation of the objectives of the Kerala Act
inasmuch as one of the main objectives was assignment of said forest land
B
for cultivation and cultivation meant clearance of forest growth - and no
such clearance was pos~ible without the prior approval of the Central
Government. No doubt, the forest land could probably be assigned as such,
i.e., with the forest growth but this was done. In the year 1988, the
Parliament amended the Forest (Conservation) Act prohibiting the leasing c
of forest land or any portion thereof to any private person or to any
authority, corporation, agency or any other organisation not owned,
managed or controlled by the government. The explanation to Section 2
was also substituted which says inter alia that 'non-forest purpose' means
any purpose other than reafforestation. Be that as it may, the fact remains D
that the private forests acquired under the Kerala Act could not be
reserved or assigned so far, as contemplated by Section 10 of the Act,
except assignment of a small portion mentioned above.

Having failed to challenge successfully the validity of the Act, some
of the affected owners applied for exemption of certain portions of the E
private forests under Section 3. Their applications were rejected against
which they filed appeals which too were dismissed. Some of them ap-
proached this court by way of Special Leave Petitions which were dis-
missed. It is then that some of them have come forward with these writ
petitions.
F
The relief sought for by the petitioners in these writ petitions is for
a declaration that the Kerala Act is unconstitutional and for a direction
restraining the State of Kerala and its-officers from enforcing the provisions
of the said Act with respect to the private forests owned by them prior to
their vesting in the government. It is also prayed that the possession of the G
private forests be restored to the erstwhile owners. The main ground urged
in support of these writ petitions is this; the Act is a measure of agrarian
reform; because it was supposed to be a measure of agrarian reform, it was
held protected by Article 31A of the Constitution though it provided no
compensation whatsoever to the deprived owners. The Act contemplates H
838 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1995) 1 S.C.R.

A distribution of the forest lands so acquired to specified categories of
persons for the purposes of cultivation. Though a peri0d of more than
twenty years has elapsed since the said Act was enforced, the forest lands
have not been assigned as contempiated by Section 10, except perhc:ps a
minor portion. The Government is deriving income from the forest wealth
B just as the owners were doing prior to their vesting in the government. In
other words, the government is using the said forest lands for augmenting
its income. It is not really interested in distribution/assignment of the land.
Moreover, with the enactment of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the
assignment of the forest land has become impossible. It is idle to presume
that that Central Government would permit the clearance of such vast
C tracts of forests. Since clearance of forest growth from such a large extent
of land would effect the ecology and environment of the State, the Central
Government would never agree to it, which means that the object of the
enactment has become impossible to achieve. Since the main objective of
the Act has failed, the entire Act fails and the private forests ·must be
D restored to their erstwhile owners. Th~ inclusion of the Act in the ninth
Schedule to the Constitution (at SI. No. 146) by Constitution 40th (Amend-
ment) Act, does in no manner stand in the way of the above submission.
Not only has it been included in the Ninth Schedule by a post-Bharati
Amendment Act, the protection afforded by Article 31B is no answer to
the submission of the petitioners. The counsel for the petitioners submitted
E further that the Kerala Act and the Forest (Conservation) Act are repug-
nant to each other and that in any event until the prior approval of the
Central Government is granted, the inconsistency remains.

Section 3 of the Kerala Act vests all the private forests in the State
p in the government on the appointed day. "Appointed day" means 10th day
of May, 1971 as per clause (a) of Section 2. The constitutional validity of
the enactment was questioned by the affected owners but they failed
ultimately as stated hereinbefore. The decision of this court upholding the
validity of the Act was rendered in September 1973. Having waited for ..
about sixteen years, some of the owners have come forward with the
G present writ petitions again impugning the constitutional validity of the said
enactment, no doubt on a different ground. The main ground now urged,
in substance, is that inasmuch as the acquired forest lands have not been
assigned as contemplated by Section 10 of the Act inspite of more than
twenty years having elapsed, the main objective of the Act has failed. It is
H submitted that the enactment of Forest (Conservation) Act by the Parlia-
BAGAWATI TEA ESTATESv. G.0.I. [JEEVAN RED,DYJ.] 839

ment in the year, 1980 anc.I its subsequent amendment in 1988 has mac.le A
the achievement of the objective of the Act impossible. In other wore.ls, they
say, the Act has failed as a measure of agrarian reform. It has turned out
lo he a mere anc.I sheer measure of expropriation of private property. The
Act incorporates a composite scheme; if one part fails, the whole
scheme/enactment fails, it is submitted. It does not even appear, say the
counsel for the petitioners, that the Government of Kerala had ever applied
B
for the prior approval of the Central Government under Section 2 of the
Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 which fact according to them establishes
that the government is never mine.led to enforce the Act. Since it is sitting
pretty upon the forest wealth and deriving income therefrom, it has no
inclination to distribute the land, they say. Strong reliance is placed upon c
the following observations in the opinion of Krishna Iyer, J. in Gwalior
Rayons:

"We may, however, point out here that in ascertaining whether the
impugned enactment outlines a blueprint for agrarian reform the D
Court will look to the substance of the statutory proposal and not
its mere outward form. The Court will closely study to see if the
legislation merely wears the mask of agrarian reform or it is in
reality such. A label cannot salvage a statute from the clutches of
constitutional limitations if the agrarian reform envisaged by it is
"a teasing illusion or promise of unreality". The Court should not E
be too gullible to accept a scheme of agrarian reform when it is
nothing but a verbal substerfuge, but at the same time the Court
should not be too astute to reject such a scheme because it is not
satisfied with the wisdom of the scheme or its technical soundness.
Can the State take over an industrial unit or a business undertaking F
without payment of compensation and claim the protection of
Art.31A by stating that the profit arising from such industrial unit
or business undertaking would be utilised for purposes directed to
agriculture or welfare of the rural population? Such an acquisition
would obviously not be an acquisition for carrying out a scheme
of agrarian reform because there will be no direct nexus between G
the subject-matter acquired and its utilisation for agrarian reform.
It would not be enough merely to say that the income of the
property acquired is to be utilised for purposes of agrarian reform.
The property itself must be acquired for carrying out such a
reform. This requirement is satisfied in the present case because H
840 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1995] 1 S.C.R.

A forest_ lands reserved under s.1.0 are to be utilised "for purposes
directed to the promotion of agriculture or for the welfare of the
agricultural population or for purposes ancillary thereto". We do
not think it would have been sufficient merely to provide that the
income from the produce of the forests shall be utilised for promo-
tion of agriculture or the welfare of the agricultural population,
B but tht> forest lands need not be so utilised. That would have been
merely a devise for augmenting the revenues of the State though
with a direction that such addition to the revenue shall be ex-
pended only on purposes of promotion of agriculture or the
welfare of the agricultural population. But here it is clear on a
c reading of s.10 that the forests and hot merely the income are to
be devoted to or directed towards the promotion of agriculture or
the welfare of the agricultural population or for ancillary uses
closely related to agrarian reform. The details of the scheme of
agrarian reform to which the acquired forests would be subjected
cannot obviously be embodied in the statute and they are left to
D be provided by rules which are to be made under s.17 for the
purpose of carrying out the provisions of the statute. No rules could
so far be made by the State Government, it is said, because there
was a stay against the implementat!on of the Act when the petition
was pending in the Kerala High Court and thereafter the Act was
E declared to be ultra vires and void by the judgment of the Kerala
High Court which is under appeal before us. Now that the Act is
being declared by us as constitutionally valid, the State Govern-
ment will have to make rules setting out the precise programme
of agrarian reform which is intended to be carried out. Counsel
for the forest owners has expressed an apprehension before us that
F
the State Government may keep the forests as they are for a long
number of years and namely go on augmenting the revenues of the
state by cutting and selling timber growing on them and thereby
defeat the rationale of Art. 31A itself. But there is no basis or
justification for this appn:hension because, we are of the view that
G the· agrarian project would have to be spelt out concretely by the
State Government within the prescribed period of two years or at
any rate within a reasonable time thereafter. If the State Govern- ..
ment merely goes on making money by cutting and selling the
timber grown on the forests without implc:nenting the definite
H
B.\GAWATITEA ESTATES1'. G.0.1. [JEEVAN REDDY,.J.) 841

proposal of agrarian reform contemplated in s.10 within a A
reasonable period of time it would be a subversion of the statute
and in such a case it would be competent to the aggrieved parties
to take legal action compelling the Stale to make good the statutory
promise and lo act in terms of s.10 and if the forests arc diverted
for uses ot1tside the scope of s.10 the court could restrain the State
from such illegilimate adventures."
B

We are unable to agree with the learned counsel for the petitioners.
While we see the force of the argument that the Government of Kerala
has, to a large extent, failed in carrying out the objectives of the enactment
as cantemplated by Section 10, we see no ground for holding that such C
failure of the government renders the enactment void. It has never been
held that any court that failure to fully carry out the objectives of an
enactment renders the enactment void or unconstitutional. There is no such
principle known to law. We are equally unable to agree that the Forest
(Conservation) Act has made the Kerala Act unworkable. The Conserva- D
tion Act does not prohibit the clearance of forests altogether. All that it
says is that no such clearance shall take place without the prior approval
of the Central Government. The bar is not absolute one but qualified. Even
the 1988 Amendment to Forest (Conservation) Act does not make the
implementation of the State Act impossible. It may be remembered that
Section 10 does not contemplate assignment or distribution of entire E
private forest lands (vesting in the government under the Act) but only a
portion of it. First, it requires government to reserve an appropriate
portion of the acquired forests for purposes directed towards t.he promo-
tion of agriculture and other matters mentioned therein. The remaining
land has to be given out on lease or registry to individuals or cooperative. F
All this can still be done without violating the provisions of the Act. It is
also not possible to agree with the submission of the learned counsel for
the petitioners that the Central Government is bound to decline prior
approval under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act. We cannot
decide for the Central Government nor can we presume so and invalidate
the Act on that ground. G

Indeed, the very observations in the opinion of Krishna Iyer, J. in
Gwalior Rayons, quoted hereinbefore, militate against the contention of the
petitioners. The learned Judge observed that if the State Government fails
in carrying out the provisions of Section 10 within a reasonable period, "it H
842 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1995] 1 S.C.R.

A would be competent to the agglieved parties to take legal action compelling
the State to make good the statutory promise and to act in terms of Section
10". The petitioners cannot be treated as aggrieved parties contemplated
by the learned Judge. In the context, the expression means those persons
who stand to gain if the forest land is reserved or assigned as contemplated
by Section 10. The learned Judge had also observed that "if the forests are
B diverted for use~ outside the scope of section 10, the eourt could restrain
the State from such illegitimate adventures". All that can be done, if a
proper party comes to court, will be to direct the Government of Kerala
to make good the statutory promise by acting in terms of Section 10. ,.._

C We must also mention that the counsel for the petitioners could not
bring to our notice any decision of this Court or of any other Court where
such acquisition was invalidated on the ground that the objects of acquisi-
tion were not achieved within a reasonable period or that permission/ap-
proval of some other authority has to be obtained before taking steps for
implementation of its objectives.
D
Learned counsel for the petitioners relied upon certain observations
in Bhim Singhji v. Union of India, (1985] Suppl. S.C.R. 862 to say that
inclusion in the Ninth Schedule does not save an Act if it damages the basic
structure of the Constitution. We see no relevance of those observations
E herein, in view of what we have said hereinabove.
For the above reasons, the ~it petitions fail and are dismissed. No
·costs.

CWIL APPEAL NO. 120 OF 1986 :
F
This appeal is preferred against the judgment of the Kerala High
Court allowing a review petition filed by the State and setting aside its
earlier judgment dated August 3, 1983.

The appellant states that he entered into an agreement on August 7,
G 1963 with the karta and the senior member of the Venkunadu Kovilkam to
take on lease 550 acres of land belonging to the said Kovilkam in janmam,
situated in Neelamala Palghat district. He says that he was put in posses-
sion of the entire extent and that he raised coffee on 215 acres and
Cardomum on 225 acres before May 10, 1971, the date on which the Kerala
H Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971 came into force. The appellant
' BAGAWATITEAESTATESv. G.0.1. [JEEVAN REDDY,J.] 843

further says that he has been paying land tax and basic tax for the said A
plantation form 1974 onwards, i.e., after the plantation started yielding.
Contending that the said extent had vested in the government under
Section 2 of the Act, he says the authorities encroached upon the said
extent whereupon he instituted O.A. 139 of 1977 under Section 8 of the
Act before the appropriate Tribunal. His Contention before the Tribunal
B
was that the said land did not vest in the government under Section 3 for
the reason that well before the date of coming into force of the Act it had
ceased to be a private forest within the meaning of Section 2(f). By its order
dated May 25, 1981, the Fdrest Tribunal upheld that appellant's claim
against which the State of Kerala filed an appeal, M.F.A. No. 1 of 1982
before the High Court. The Division Bench which heard the appeal dis-
c
missed the same on August 3, 1983 affirming the fmdings of the Tribunal.
One of the contentions urged by the State before the Division Bench was
that the said agreement of lease having been entered into without obtaining
previous sanction of the Collector, as required by the Madras Preservation
of Private Forests Act, the lease is not only void but the said fact also D
establishes that the alleged agreement of lease and delivery of possession
pleaded by the appellant is not true. This argument was rejected by the
Division Bench relying upon A-20, the report of the receiver appointed in
O.S.1/64 on the file of the learned District Judge, Palghat and upon the
recitals in the formal lease deed· Exh. A-21 executed pursuant to the E
agreement of lease in the year 1973. In addition to the above, the Division
Bench also relied upon Exh. A-8, the rent receipt dated November 9, 1963
issued by the Kariastha of the Kovilkarn to the appellant. The Bench held
that the appellant had indeed come into possession of the said land on
August 7, 1963 and had also converted the said extent into plantation prior
F
to May 10, 1971. This order become fmal, not having been questioned by
the State in Court or otherwise.

On November 18, 1983, the Governor of Kerala issued an ordinance
... being Ordinance No. 39 of 1983 amendin~ Section 8 of the Act and
inserting new Sections 8-B, 8-C and 8-D after Section 8-A in the Principal G
Act. Section 8--B extended the period of limitation for the State to apply
for review of a judgment rendered by the Tribunal on the grounds specified
therein. Section 8-C(3), which is relevant for our purposes, extended the
period of limitation for the state to apply for review of judgment delivered
by the High Court, on the grounds specified therein. For the purpose of H
844 SUPREME COURT REPORTS. (1995] 1 S.C.R.

A this case, it is enough to notice sub-section (3) of Section 8-C. It reads as
follows :

"(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or in the
Limitation Act, 1963 (Central Act 36 of 1963), or in any other law
for the time being in force, or in any judgment, decree or order
B of any Court or other authority, the Government, if they are
satisfied that any Judgment or order [other than an order referred
to in sub-section (2)] passed by the High Court in any proceeding,
relates to any land which is a private forest and that such judgment
or order has been passed due to suppression or misrepresentation
c of facts or due to the failure to produce relevant data or other
particulars or that an appeal against such judgment or order could
not be filed by reason of the delay in applying for and obtaining a
certified copy of such judgment or order, may, within six months
from the commencement of the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting
and Assignment) Amendment Ordinance, 1983, make an applica-
D tion to the High Court for review of such judgment or order."

(Quoted from the Paper Book)

In is brought to our notice that after the lapse of the original
E ordinance, successive ordinances were issued from time to time. Be that as
it may, taking advantage of Section 8-C(3), the State of Kerala filed a
petition for reviewing the judgment of the High Court dated August 3,
1983. It was posted before Thommen, J., who was one of the two members
of the Division Bench which had dismissed the appeal on August 3, 1983.
The learned Judge allowed the review petition and restored the appeal to
F file under the impugned order dated September 17, 1985.

. ·A reading of Section 8-C(3) shows that the High Court can review
its order on any of the following three grounds :

G (1) that such judgment or order has been passed due to suppression
or misrepresentation of facts;
~ •,
(2) that such judgment or order has been passed due to the failure
to produce relevant date or order particulars; or

H· (3) that an appeal against such judgment or order could not be filed
BAGAWATITEAESTATESv. G.O.I. [JEEVAN REDDY,J.) 845

by reason of the delay in applying for or obtaining a certified copy of such A
judgment 0r order.

The review petition filed by the State was based upon the second
ground, viz., failure of the State to produce relevant data or other par-
ticulars, a fact specifically noted in the very first paragraph of the impugned B
order. The contention urged on behalf of the Government Pleader before
the learned Judge was that it was not brought to the notice of the High
Court that prior to the execution of Exh. A-5 in 1963, the sanction of the
District Collector as required under Section 3 of the Madras Preservation
of Private Forests Act had not been obtained. The learned Judge took note
of the fact this contention was urged before the Division Bench when it C
heard the appeal and had rejected it. Even so the learned Judge observed,
after noticing Section 3 of the Madras Act, that according to the said
provision any alienation without the previous sanction of the District
Collector is null and void and that the said circumstance raises several
questions for consideration, viz., whether the agreement of lease amounts D
to alienation within the meaning of Section 3 of the Madras Act and if so
whether it was entered into with the previous sanction of the Collector and
further whether such alienation without such previ.:ms permission can
constitute a foundation for excluding the land from the purview of the
Kerala Act and certain other questions. What is of relevance is that the
learned Judge did not say or find that the order of the High Court was E
made, or vitiated, due to the failure to produce relevant data or other
particulars. Indeed, no such data or particulars were placed before the
Court by the State in the review petition. On the same material, which was
on record in the appeal, the impugned order has been made. We are of
the opinion that the words, "due to failure to produce relevant data or other F
particulars" mean what they say. It must be a failure to produce relevant
date or particulars; it cannot mean a mere change of opinion on the same
material or on the same evidence. We are, therefore, of the opinion that
the ground on which the review petition was filed was not made out and
hence the order dated August 3, 1983 could not have b~en reviewed and
set aside. It is true that under the impugned order the learned Judge has G
merely restored the appeal to file after setting aside the order dated August
3, 1983, which meant that appeal is yet to be heard, but, in our opinion,
the very setting aside of the order dated August 3, 1983 was not called
for until and unless one or the other ground specified by statute is made
out. H
846 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1995) 1 S.C.R.

A In view of the above, it. is not necessary to consider the other question
raised in this appeal viz., the validity of the successive ordinances inserting
the aforesaid sections in the Kerala Act.

Accordingly, we allow the appeal and set aside the impugned judg-
ment and restore the judgment of the Division Bench dated August 3, 1983.
B It is made clear that if pursuant to the order impugned herein, any orders
are passed in the appeal, whether interim or final, they shall equally stand
set aside. No costs.

R.A. Petition dismissed and appeal allowed.