New Delhi, Dec. 23 -- The Supreme Court on Monday deprecated the Uttarakhand government for allowing large-scale encroachment of forest land in Rishikesh, calling it "shocking" that the state had failed to reclaim thousands of acres despite the withdrawal of an earlier land allotment at least four decades ago. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justice Joymalya Bagchi initiated suo motu proceedings after noting that over 2,800 acres of forest land, which reverted to the forest department in 1984, continued to remain under occupation of private parties. "What is shocking is that the Uttarakhand government is a silent spectator when thousands of acres of forest land is sought to be encroached," said the bench, asking: "What has the state been doing all these years? We are going to take a strict view." Directing immediate administrative action, the court ordered the state's chief secretary and additional chief secretary to urgently examine the matter, ascertain the status of possession of the land, and submit a detailed report to the apex court by the first week of January. The bench also directed that all vacant portions of the land be taken into possession forthwith by the forest department. "All private parties are restrained from creating any third-party rights or alienating such land occupied by them as on date," ordered the court, However, the court ordered status quo with respect to residential units that have already come up on the land, clarifying that for the present, no coercive action will be taken against occupants of constructed residential properties. The directions were issued while hearing a petition filed by a woman who challenged eviction proceedings initiated against her for occupying a residential unit allegedly built on forest land. The case traces its origins to a November 2025 order of the Uttarakhand high court, which upheld the eviction....