New Delhi, May 16 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday directed all the states and Union territories to constitute special investigation teams (SITs) to restore forest lands that have been illegally allotted to private entities and recover costs in cases where taking back possession was not in larger public interest. The direction came in a judgment delivered in a matter related to "illegal" allotment of 11.89-hectare reserved forest land in Pune, Maharashtra to a housing society - Richie Rich Cooperative Housing Society Limited (RRCHS) - in October 1999. The court in its order called out the role of then Maharashtra revenue minister and then divisional commissioner, who ensured the allotment of land to the housing society by bypassing the Fore...