New Delhi, March 5 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday set a six-month deadline for states and Union territories to complete the exercise of identifying forests by appointing expert committees and carrying out the scientific demarcation of land. The top court also warned that chief secretaries and administrators would be held personally liable if they failed to stick to the time line.

Dealing with a set of petitions challenging the amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (FCA), a bench headed by justice Bhushan R Gavai noted that identification is key to protecting the forest cover in the country. It cited Rule 16(1) of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, Rules 2023, which require all states and Union territories to prepa...