JUDGMENT

ABHAY S. OKA, J.

1. The broad issue involved in these appeals and writ petitions is Whether a land covered under a special order issued by the Government of Haryana under Section 4 of the PUNJAB LAND PRESERVATION ACT , 1900 (for short “PLPA”) is a “forest land” within the meaning of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (for short “the 1980 FOREST ACT ”)?”

FACTUAL ASPECTS

2. Civil Appeal No. 10294 of 2013, Civil Appeal No. 8454 of 2014, Civil Appeal No. 8173 of 2016 and Civil Appeal No. 11000 of 2013 take exception to the orders passed by the National Green Tribunal (for short “the NGT”).

3. Civil Appeal No. 10294 of 2013 takes exception to the order dated 03rd May 2013 passed by the NGT in Original Application No. 42 of 2013. The said application was filed for inviting the attention of the NGT to the illegal non- FOREST ACT ivities of the encroachers on the lands bearing Khasra Nos. 1359, 1374 and 1378 of Village Anangpur Tehsil Ballabhgarh, District Faridabad in the State of Haryana. The NGT passed the impugned order restraining the carrying on of any non- FOREST ACT ivities on the subject lands. The NGT proceeded on the footing that the lands at village Anangpur covered by the order dated 18th August 1992 issued under Section 4 of PLPA were forest lands within the meaning of the 1980 FOREST ACT . Before the said order dated 18th August 1992 was passed, a notification dated 10th April 1992 under Section 3 of PLPA was issued notifying the entire area covered by Ballabhgarh Tehsil of Faridabad District. The appellants are running marriage halls on the land subject matter of the said order dated 18th August 1992, issued under Section 4 of PLPA.

4. Civil Appeal No. 8173 of 2016 impugns the order dated 16th May 2016 passed by the NGT in Original Application No. 519 of 2015. In Original Application No. 519 of 2015, a prayer was made to stop the commercial and non- FOREST ACT ivities on the lands bearing Khasra No. 182 Min, RECT No. 61, Kila No. 19 (8-0), 20/1(0-7) and 22/2 (7-17) of Village Ankhir, Tehsil Ballabhgarh, District Faridabad in the State of Haryana. The said lands were the subject matter of another order issued on 18th August 1992 by the Government of Haryana in the exercise of the power under Section 4 of PLPA in respect of certain lands in village Ankhir. The NGT held that the lands covered by the said order under Section 4 were forest lands within the meaning of the 1980 FOREST ACT .

5. Civil Appeal No. 11000 of 2013 takes exception to the same order dated 03rd May 2013 passed by the NGT in Original Application No. 42 of 2013, which is also the subject matter of challenge in Civil Appeal No. 10294 of 2013. The appellants claim to be the owners of a restaurant on the land subject matter of the order dated 18th August 1992, issued under Section 4 of PLPA.

6. Civil Appeal No. 8454 of 2014 also takes exception to the same order dated 03rd May 2013 of the NGT. The appellants therein are having marriage halls on the subject land.

7. The petitioners in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1031 of 2021 have invoked Article 32 of the Constitution of India. The petitioners claim to be the holders of the lands in Villages Anangpur, Ankhir and Mewla Maharajpur (for short “the said three villages”) in Tehsil Ballabhgarh, District Faribadad in the State of Haryana. The lands held by th