New Delhi, February 28: The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed its February 13 order which directed eviction of more than 10 lakh tribals and forest dwellers after the claims of traditional forestlands were rejected under the law. The Supreme Court also asked states to inform apex court about the procedure followed for determining the forest rights as well as whether the state level monitoring committees actually monitored the process or not. The court gave state governments four months and fixed the next hearing on July 10, 2019. NDA Govt Risks Wildlife by Giving 20% More Infra Clearances Than UPA-II Tenure, Activists Sound Red Alert.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra, Navin Sinha and M.R. Shah directed the states to submit affidavits detailing the procedure. The latest development comes after the top court on Wednesday agreed to hear the Centre's plea seeking withholding of its February 13 order asking 21 states to evict forest dwellers whose claims were rejected. The apex court reiterating its February 13 order asked the Forest Survey of India (FSI) to undertake a satellite survey of forest lands. Bharat Bandh on March 5: Tribals, Dalits Call Shutdown to Protest SC Order Leading to Eviction of 10 Lakh Forest Dwellers.

After the February 13 order, tribals across the country had called for a Bharat Bandh on March 5. The tribals had warned that Bandh would be called in states like Jharkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Northeastern states. Activists Question Govt's Silence as 10 Lakh Tribal Families Set to be Evacuated From Forests.

On February 13, the top court had ordered the eviction of over 10 lakh tribals from forest land across 21 states. This move from the court came after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government failed to defend the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, which protects the rights of tribals and forest dwellers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2019 05:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).