The Supreme Court has ordered strict action to remove encroachments in the Agastya Hill forest region on the Tamil Nadu–Kerala border, directing the Tamil Nadu government to initiate both disciplinary and legal proceedings against 118 identified encroachers, many of whom are government employees and retired officials.
The Agastya Hill landscape is a key biodiversity area that includes multiple protected regions such as Periyar Tiger Reserve, Srivilliputhur–Meghamalai Tiger Reserve, Kalakad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, and several wildlife sanctuaries. The court noted concerns that encroachments and illegal constructions in recent years have posed a serious threat to the wider environment.
During the hearing before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, the court referred to a report filed by the Theni district collector. The report said 4,601 encroachers in Theni’s reserve forests had occupied 5,072 hectares, with only 1.8% recovered so far, and that 116 government and public-utility buildings had been constructed without proper permission.
The bench said it was “shocking” that the 118 individual encroachers identified were government personnel, including those linked to the Army, police, paramilitary forces, forest and revenue departments, the electricity board, anganwadi services, school education, panchayat staff, and retirees. The court ordered action under the Tamil Nadu Government Servants’ Conduct Rules and directed that environmental compensation for forest destruction be assessed, recovered from the encroachers, and deposited with CAMPA.
The court also issued operational directions: Tamil Nadu must submit a time-bound eviction plan to the Central Empowered Committee within a month; all government services such as welfare benefits, electricity and drinking water to encroached homes and shops must be stopped immediately; all unauthorised government offices and infrastructure inside forests must be demolished within six months; illegal resorts and commercial units in Meghamalai and other protected areas must be shut and removed; and if the state delays, the committee may call in paramilitary forces. The committee was asked to monitor compliance on the ground and file reports every three months, with the first report due in a sealed cover on August 28; the case was posted next for September 1.
