Punjab and Haryana High Court halts construction, land transfers in 16 villages near Chandigarh
Babushhai Bureau
Chandigarh, July 23, 2026: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed an immediate stay on all construction, development activities, land transfers and fresh mutation entries in 16 villages near Chandigarh, citing the failure to implement the Supreme Court's 2014 directions on identifying forest land in the ecologically sensitive Shivalik Hills region.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ashwini Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor directed the Punjab government to complete the identification of forest land existing when the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 came into force within six weeks. The restrictions will remain in force until the exercise is completed or until further orders.
The court ordered the Punjab Chief Secretary to constitute a special team headed by two senior officers to demarcate the forest land. It also directed authorities to preserve the complete revenue records of the 16 affected villages, including Karoran, Nada, Parach, Sunak, Majrian, Choti Nagal, Badi Nagal, Parol, Siswan, Pallanpur, Saini Majra, Dulwan, Burana, Gochar, Mirzapur, Tarapur and Sultanpur.
The bench instructed that certified copies of the revenue records be submitted to the Registrar General of the High Court within a week. It further directed the Deputy Commissioner of Mohali to appear personally with the original records at the next hearing. The court warned that any violation of its directions would invite contempt proceedings.
The directions were issued while hearing a batch of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) raising concerns over alleged illegal construction and commercial activities in the environmentally sensitive belt surrounding Chandigarh. Petitioners claimed that unauthorised developments were continuing with the alleged connivance of state authorities.
The case traces its origins to the alleged illegal construction of a private club in Karoran village in 2004. In the B.S. Sandhu case, the Supreme Court had clarified that land covered under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900 does not automatically qualify as forest land. However, it directed that the actual status of such land must be verified under the provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
Observing that the matter involves significant environmental concerns, the High Court stressed the need for an expeditious and transparent identification of forest land to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court's earlier directives.