NON-REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CIVIL APPEAL NO. 15686 OF 2017

[@ SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (C) NO. 23123/2016]

VISWAJEET KHANNA AND ORS APPELLANT(S)                                 VERSUS

SUKHWINDER SINGH AND ORS                  RESPONDENT(S) WITH

C.A. NO. 15687/2017 @ SLP(C) NO. 23750/2016

J U D G M E N T KURIAN, J.

Leave granted. 2. The  appellants  are  before  us  aggrieved  by  the order dated 28.05.2016 passed in CACP No.14/2016 by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh. 3. The  matter  was  before  the  Division  Bench, pursuant  to  the  contempt  proceedings  initiated against the appellants.  In the nature of order we propose to pass it is not necessary to go into the factual matrix except to refer to last order passed by this Court on 24.08.2017, which reads as follows:-

“Paragraph 37 of the impugned order reads as follows :-

“The  respondents  have  rightly approached  the  Contempt  Court  for non-compliance of the orders passed by

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the  writ  court  on  28.05.2014.   The State shall identify the forest land based  on  the  Government  records maintained as on 25.10.1980, the date from which the Forest (Conservation) Act,  1980  was  enforced  as expeditiously  as  possible.   While undertaking  such  an  exercise,  the State  shall  not  rely  upon  the satellite  imagery  that  was  taken  on 17.05.1981 which is beyond the cut-off date  fixed  by  the  Hon'ble  Supreme Court.  In other words, the satellite imagery  taken  on  17.05.1981  be eschewed  from  the  purview  of identification  of  the  forest  land. The appellants shall not rake-up these issues  time  and  again  before  the Contempt Court.”

We  direct  the  State  to  identify  the forest lands based on the Government records as on 25.10.1980 and submit a report to this Court positively within three weeks.   

We  direct  the  Chief  Secretary  to coordinate  the  preparation  of  the  report. We make it clear that the Chief Secretary shall not delegate the preparation of the report to anybody else and make sure that the  same  is  done  under  his  supervision directly.  

The stay on contempt proceedings shall continue until further orders.   

Matters  remain  part-heard.   List  on 04.10.2017 as Part Heard.“

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4. The Chief Secretary has, accordingly, submitted a detailed  Report  dated  13.09.2017  along  with  plans, sketch  etc.  Having gone  through the  Report, Shri V.K. Bali, learned senior counsel appearing for the respondent(s),  submits  that  now  that  a  report  has been  submitted  by  the  Chief  Secretary  which, according to the learned senior counsel, is wholly faulty, the same will have to be gone into either by this Court or by the High Court. 5. Having regard to the jurisdiction invoked before this  Court,  we  are  of  the  view  that  it  is  only appropriate  that  the  liberty  is  granted  to  the respondents  to  challenge  the  same  before  the  High Court in an appropriate proceeding. 6. The  Report  having  been  submitted  by  the  Chief Secretary  and  since  the  same  is  sought  to  be challenged on merits, we do not find any need for continuing the contempt proceedings initiated against the  appellants.   Therefore,  we  set  aside  the proceedings  initiated  against  the  appellants  under the  contempt  jurisdiction  exercised  by  the  High Court. 7. In the event of the respondents approaching the High Court, we request the Court  to dispose of the matters expeditiously. 8. In view of the above, the appeals are disposed of.

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9. Pending  applications,  if  any,  shall  stand disposed of. 10. There shall be no orders as to costs.

.......................J.               [KURIAN JOSEPH]  

.......................J.               [R. BANUMATHI]  

NEW DELHI; OCTOBER 05, 2017.

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