517 acres of Bengaluru reserved forest at risk after HC order entering private owner’s name in records

A Karnataka High Court directive to enter a private individual’s name in revenue records for a massive reserved forest tract near Kengeri has triggered alarm within the Forest Department.

A major controversy has erupted after the Karnataka High Court issued an order directing Bengaluru South taluk officials to enter the name of a private individual, M.B. Nemana Gowda, in the revenue records of 517 acres of reserved forest land near Kengeri. The Forest Department, which was unaware of the proceedings until recently, is now scrambling to challenge the directive as the land in question holds an estimated market value of ₹25,000 crore to ₹30,000 crore.

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The case concerns survey numbers 4, 48, 90, 91 and 92 in the BM Kaval region, covering a total of 532 acres. Of this, 517 acres are notified reserved forest, with only 15 acres outside forest limits. In August 2025, Nemana Gowda approached the High Court claiming that the land had been granted to him. Within just 17 days, on August 30, the High Court instructed revenue authorities to enter his name in the pahani within 90 days.

The Forest Department was not informed of the writ petition, raising concerns about how the case progressed rapidly without the state’s legal objections. After learning of the order only when individuals approached the department to purchase portions of the land citing the judgment, officials sought legal advice. Initially, the Additional Advocate General suggested filing an appeal. However, after learning that the area was reserved forest notified in 1935, he reportedly withdrew his earlier opinion, saying it may not be a fit case for appeal.

Documents submitted by Nemana Gowda include a 1973 order allegedly issued by the Special Deputy Commissioner (Inam Abolition) of Hassan division, along with claims that his name appeared in revenue records between 1974 and 1981 before being removed when the Forest Department took possession. Forest officials now suspect parts of the documentation may be forged, and have recommended police action.

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Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, who has taken note of the situation, has directed officials to file an appeal against the High Court order and to initiate cases for alleged document forgery. The minister has also questioned how an officer from Hassan could grant rights over Bengaluru reserved forest land, and why the state’s lawyers did not argue to dismiss the writ petition.

The government now aims to bring to the court’s attention the applicability of forest and land ceiling laws, and the fact that BM Kaval has been notified reserved forest for nearly nine decades.