India, Feb. 23 -- After the Supreme Court (SC) on November 8, 2025, struck down a 2018 judgement of the Bombay high court (HC) treating several privately-owned lands in Maharashtra as 'private forests' vested in the state, the state forest department has reported a surge in fresh ownership claims, particularly from western Maharashtra. Nearly 80 new applications have been filed before the Bombay HC, prompting the forest department to prepare an extended round of legal proceedings.

A senior official from the forest department said that the SC verdict has encouraged individuals and entities to assert claims over lands earlier categorised as 'private forests'. The official said, "Since November 2025, we have received around 80 fresh applica...