The Maharashtra forest department has approached the Supreme Court seeking to reclaim 1,500 acres of forest land in Palghar district that has been transferred to the Lele family following orders passed by the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal (MRT) and the Bombay High Court. The department has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) seeking an immediate stay on the MRT order and the subsequent contempt order of the High Court. Chief Conservator of Forests Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar said the SLP has been submitted before the Supreme Court and an immediate stay on the decision has been sought.
The disputed land is located in Wada taluka of Palghar district and is former 'inam land' that had been granted to the Lele family during the British colonial period. Following Independence, the land was acquired by the state forest department in the 1960s. Subsequently, Bhushan Vartak, who holds power of attorney for the Lele family, approached the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal seeking transfer of the land in favour of the family. The tribunal ruled in favour of the petitioner. As the district collector did not execute the transfer, the Lele family filed a contempt petition before the Bombay High Court.
Following the High Court's order dated March 5, 2026, the Palghar district administration transferred the 1,500 acres to the petitioner on July 27. The forest department has now initiated proceedings before the Supreme Court to reclaim the land. Officials from the Palghar forest department said they were unable to present their case before the court as the matter was decided within a few days of the petition being filed. The department has also issued a public appeal advising citizens not to purchase the disputed land while the matter remains under litigation.
In a separate case, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has announced that the transfer of 1,053 acres of land on Ghodbundar Road in Thane, located within the notified area of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, has been kept on hold. He said the forest department's name will continue to remain on the land record document for the time being. The Thane dispute concerns 1,053 acres that have remained in the forest department's possession since 1975. Kapil Sharma and others had approached the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal, which ruled in their favour. The matter was subsequently placed before Bawankule, who upheld the tribunal's decision.
The forest department, however, sought an opportunity to present its case before the minister. Meanwhile, Sharma approached the Bombay High Court seeking implementation of the MRT order. Bawankule has since issued an administrative decision placing the transfer of the land on hold.
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