Citizens for Justice and Peace
Joint Committee Report on the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition Of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005 The Committee was formed by the Parliament to consider the provisions and possible ramifications of the 2005 Bill
28-Oct-2019
The Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005 sought to recognise forest rights of forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDSTs) who have been occupying the land before October 25, 1980. This Bill did not recognise communities which depend on the forest for their survival and livelihood but don’t constitute forest dwellers or Scheduled Tribes. After…
Mass protests & Sansad Gherao against continued Adivasi evictions on Nov 21 Despite SC stay, forest dwellers continue to be harassed by the government
23-Oct-2019
Bhumi Adhikar Andolan and forest rights groups have planned multi-level protests in response to the unrelenting violation of people’s rights and dilution of Forest Rights Act, despite a Supreme Court stay on evictions. From November 17, 2019 onward, state, district and village level actions have been planned by movement groups to protest these violations. The…
Counter Affidavit filed by MoTa in support of tribal rights in the FRA The Counter-Affidavit was filed in the main matter of Wildlife First vs. Union of India
22-Oct-2019
Roopak Chaudhari, the then-Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, filed a counter affidavit in the Writ Petition Wildlife First v. Union of India (W.P. 108/2008) raised in the Intervention Application
Bombay Natural History Society vs. Union of India First Writ Petition filed against the Forest Rights Act, 2006 before the Supreme Court on January 1, 2008
22-Oct-2019
The Bombay Natural History Society, the Wildlife Trust of India, the All Assam Tribal Youth League, and the Wildlife Society of Orissa filed a Writ Petition against challenging the validity of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (the FRA), particularly its Chapter II and III concerning forest rights…
Aarey! What’s going on? Trees felled in the dead of the night, why is this forest a thorn in the government's flesh?
05-Oct-2019
On Friday night trees in Aarey Milk Colony, a region regarded as Mumbai’s “green lungs”, were felled, purportedly with full blessings of the ruling dispensation. This, just hours after the Bombay High Court shockingly disposed of all petitions against the felling of over 2,700 trees to make way for a car shed for the Mumbai…
Inside Aarey: Where the Adivasis are fighting another battle CJP Stands with Aarey and the Adivasis
20-Sep-2019
Removed from the concrete jungle and what’s seen of Aarey from a surface level, the Adivasis have been living contentedly on their lands for generations, worshiping and celebrating mother nature. There are 27 Adivasi Hamlets in the Aarey Forest. As the Government of Maharashtra refuses to acknowledge Aarey as a forest and the ‘Save Aarey’…
SC admits Intervention Applications by CJP and AIUFWP to defend Forest Rights Act 2006 CJP fights for FRA 2006
18-Sep-2019
The intervention application filed by the Adivasi women and forest movement leaders Sokalo Gond and Nivada Rana backed by the All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP) and Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), two organisations that have been actively campaigning for forest rights, have been admitted by the Supreme court of India. We’ve…
Stop forced eviction of Adivasis & Forest dwellers: UN to India UN urges India to implement FRA 2006
17-Sep-2019
A clearly worded communication sent by UN human rights experts to the government of India urges the rigorous implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA, 2006), suggests a more democratic and legal way of approaching individual and community claims under the law and points out the dangers of the imminent evictions of millions of…
What is the Forest Rights Act 2006 and how are we defending it A short Explainer on Forest Rights Act 2006
13-Sep-2019
Why was Forest Rights Act 2006 enacted? Why do Adivasis say they got Independence only in 2006? What were the gross injustices that the Adivasis and traditional forest dwellers bore for centuries? Is their any hope for a better future for them? Is the Government trying to get away with the human rights violations they…
Maha gov’t blames DLCs for “unlawfully” rejecting Adivasis’ claims Says close examination of rejected cases has been “insightful”
12-Sep-2019
The state of Maharashtra has held the District Level Committees (DLCs), part of its own bureaucracy, accountable for “unlawfully rejecting the land claims” of lakhs of Adivasis and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) as reported by Huffingtonpost on September 11. The DLCs comprise officers from Revenue, Forest and Tribal Affairs departments and three nominated members from…