Kumar has been accused of unlawfully encroaching on 63 acres of reserved forest land in Srinivaspur taluk in Kolar district since 2006 — a protected area recognised as a forest for over a century.
Published Nov 22, 2024 | 6:58 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 22, 2024 | 6:58 PM
Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Minister Ramesh Kumar.
Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka minister KR Ramesh Kumar is widely remembered for his iconic portrayal of the Union environment and forest minister in the acclaimed Kannada television series Mukta Mukta, where he symbolised integrity and environmental stewardship.
However, this celebrated on-screen image stands in stark contrast to serious allegations against him in real life; Ramesh Kumar has been accused of unlawfully encroaching 0ver 63 acres of reserved forest land in Srinivaspur taluk in the Kolar district since 2006 — a protected area recognised as a forest for over a century.
Despite a Karnataka High Court directive mandating a joint survey by forest, and revenue officials to assess the encroached forest land, Kumar has reportedly refused to cooperate, further delaying the completion of the joint survey. His family, however, has rejected these allegations.
Following the high court orders, two joint surveys were conducted on the allegations against Ramesh Kumar.
Both surveys established that Ramesh Kumar held the areas notified as forest land. Interestingly, Ramesh Kumar did not turn up for both joint surveys.
With the existence of the high court directive mandating the presence of the petitioner and the encroacher for the joint survey, the ones conducted to date remain incomplete due to the former minister’s absence.
Following his absence on two occasions, the Kolar Deputy Conservator of Forests appealed for a fresh joint survey to decide on the matter at the earliest.
The case regained significance in October this year after the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) wrote to the Karnataka Chief Secretary instructing her to complete the joint survey within a month and submit the detailed action report within two months.
In response to the Union ministry’s directives, the state government scheduled a joint survey for 6 November which got delayed further as Ramesh Kumar failed to appear yet again.
The Karnataka forest department accuses Ramesh Kumar of illegally possessing 61.39 acres of notified forest land for nearly two decades, refusing to evict and cooperate with the officials for the joint survey since 2013.
A case involving the alleged encroachment of 61.39 acres of forest land in Jinagalagunte State Forest Area, Hosahudya village in Srinivasapura taluk at Kolar, was registered against Ramesh Kumar on 15 July 2006.
The said land was notified as a state forest area under section 17 of Mysore Forest Regulation XI of 1900, in 1937.
The dispute pertains to survey numbers one and two of the Hosahudya village and has been subjected to multiple legal and administrative proceedings, with eviction orders and joint survey mandates remaining unresolved due to procedural complexities and non-cooperation by the accused.
In connection with the case, a joint survey was conducted that identified 10.34 acres in Survey No.1 and 53.30 acres in Survey No.2, totalling 64.23 acres, as part of the encroached forest land. In the joint survey (forest and revenue officials), it was confirmed that the forest land was encroached on by Ramesh Kumar.
Following this, on 24 June 2011, the Kolar deputy conservator of forests issued an order under Section 64-A of the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963, directing Ramesh Kumar to vacate the encroached forest area.
Challenging the order, Ramesh Kumar filed an appeal with the conservator of forests Bangalore Circle. On 26 March 2012, the appeal was dismissed, and the earlier eviction order was upheld, reiterating the directive to clear the encroachment of the 64.23 acres.
A photocopy of a letter written by Kolar’s Deputy Conservator of Forest V Yedukondalu to Deputy Commissioner Akram Pasha on the matter.
Subsequently, Ramesh Kumar filed a writ petition before the Karnataka High Court in 2012. The high court dismissed the appeal order issued by the chief conservator of forests and directed a fresh joint survey to demarcate the boundaries of the forest and revenue lands in 2013.
The court also ordered to measure the property purchased by Ramesh Kumar and determine whether it fell under revenue jurisdiction or included forest land, emphasizing that the process be completed expeditiously.
On 29 September 2014, a joint survey was carried out under the supervision of the deputy commissioner of Kolar District, the deputy conservator of forests, the deputy director of land records, and officials from the revenue and forest departments. However, Ramesh Kumar was not present during the survey proceedings.
According to the high court’s directive, the joint survey required the participation of the deputy conservator of forests, the deputy commissioner, the deputy director of the revenue and land Survey department, and the encroacher.
However, the absence of Ramesh Kumar rendered the survey incomplete and legally void (void ab initio), as it failed to meet the requirements for reaching a consensus decision in law.
“Given the incomplete nature of the 2014 joint survey, the high court’s directive necessitates a fresh survey to resolve the matter conclusively. Even the MoEF&CC has given fresh directions in this case. All stakeholders must participate to ensure compliance with legal procedures and to arrive at a binding resolution regarding the status of the disputed land,” pointed out the forest official.
Following the private complaints, MoEF&CC Assistant Inspector General of Forests (AIGF) Sanjay Kumar Chauhan wrote to Karnataka Chief Secretary (CS) Shalini Rajneesh on 8 October 2024 and directed her to take necessary actions to clear the encroachment of forest land.
It also asked Rajneesh to carry out a survey within one month and submit a detailed action report in two months.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has directed the Karnataka Chief Secretary to conduct joint survey within one month. (supplied)
In the letter, accessed by South First, Chauhan directed Rajneesh to carry out the joint survey to ascertain the land status, in compliance with the order of the high court.
“The forest encroachment, if any identified in the course of the survey is evicted as per the law. An Action Taken Report (ATR) be submitted in two months,” Chauhan said in the letter.
Pointing at a fresh complaint in this case a forest official told South First on condition of anonymity: “In 2022, a person identified as Shivareddy approached the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Ecology, which is the owner of the forest, over accusing Ramesh Kumar of encroaching 61.39 acres of forest land in Srinivasapura taluka.”
“A committee set up by the Union government concluded that the forest area has been encroached. Despite this, neither the state government nor the district administration took action against clearing encroachment,” highlighted the official.
“In 2024, another complaint was lodged with the Ministry of Forests on the same matter. The Union government requested a report and the state forest department furnished it. The report highlighted that a file was pending with the principal secretary of the revenue department, who lacked jurisdiction.”
“Instead of forwarding the file to the chief conservator of forests, the then Kolar DC sent it to the principal secretary in 2014, where it was deliberately withheld. In the latest developments, the Union government has given a one-month deadline to the Karnataka Chief Secretary to conduct a joint survey and submit a detailed action report in two months,” added the forest official.
Stating that Ramesh Kumar failed to turn up yet again for the joint survey, he pointed out: “In response to the MoEF&CC, the state government scheduled a fresh joint survey on 6 November 2024, with serving notices to all the parties concerned including Ramesh Kumar.”
“However, the joint survey was not held again as Ramesh Kumar failed to turn up yet again on 6 November,” the forest official said claiming the joint survey was deliberately being delayed with exerting pressure from the government.
The sources claimed that a fresh joint survey was scheduled on 11 November, and Ramesh Kumar, yet again, failed to turn up, compelling the officials concerned to look for fresh dates for the joint survey.
The Department of Land Records served notice to former minister Ramesh Kumar to participate in the joint survey on 6 November 2024.
A senior forest official alleged that Ramesh Kumar was using his political influence to obstruct the court-mandated joint survey aimed at addressing his alleged encroachment.
The forest official claimed that despite multiple eviction notices and findings by both state and central authorities confirming the encroachment of forest land, progress has been stalled due to the alleged political interference by Kumar to protect his hold on the disputed land.
On condition of anonymity, a senior forest official told South First: “Ramesh Kumar is claiming that he purchased land from those farmers, who got the lands under various grants, and was attempting to create the missing records through the revenue department.”
“He is sitting in the forest area and trying to generate documents through a process in the revenue department, which is said to be handled by the land grants missing files reconstruction committee. He was attempting to create and finalise the records, including the podi,” the official accused.
He continued: “According to the Settlement notification under Section 17 of the Mysore Regulation Act, 1937, the notice was directed at the encroacher, and the area is under the jurisdiction of the forest department.”
“We filed an FIR in 2006. Under the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963, the due process has been followed, and an eviction order was passed in 2012,” the forest official highlighted.
He further said: “Ramesh Kumar appealed the eviction order before the high court in 2013. The court directed a joint survey to determine whether the land falls within the forest area or is categorised as revenue land and instructed that appropriate action be taken. The high court’s directive issued in 2013 has not been executed yet.”
“Ramesh Kumar has failed to appear for all the joint surveys since 2014. The joint survey will not be considered complete until and unless encroacher Ramesh Kumar is present for the survey. He is deliberately missing it and pressurising the officials using his political influence,” the forest official claimed.
He said forest officials have been trying to clear the encroachment for the last 15 years.
Ramesh Kumar’s family denies allegations
While the forest officials and others are waiting for Ramesh Kumar to turn up for the upcoming joint-survey, the Ramesh Kumar’s family deny the allegations of the forest department on the encroachment of notified forest land.
Family members of Ramesh Kumar told South First: “The encroachment allegations being made by the forest officials are false. We have purchased the land from the farmers and have relevant documents as well.”
“Importantly, Ramesh Kumar was present during the first joint-survey that was held on the orders of the high court. We have sufficient evidences including photos of him appearing for the joint-survey. We have not encroached the forest land,” the family members denied the allegations of the forest department.
When the South First tried to contact Ramesh Kumar, he was not available to comment.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
