Headnote
AI-drafted · Editorially reviewed
The petitioners, tribal community members residing in the forest area of Andharua Gram Panchayat, Khordha District, filed a Public Interest Litigation opposing the alleged unauthorised realignment of a road from the original Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP). They contended that the deviation was intended to evict tribal occupants and demolish their dwelling houses, religious shrines, and community activity centres protected under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
The petitioners sought writs of mandamus, certiorari, and prohibition compelling the authorities to revert to the originally notified road trajectory published in the Extraordinary Gazette dated 14th May 2018, and to restrain the authorities from executing evictions or demolitions without due process of law. A connected writ petition W.P.(C) No.15819 of 2025 was filed by Ranjan Nayak raising similar challenges against the Bhubaneswar Development Authority and related departments.
The Orissa High Court, Cuttack Bench, heard the matters on multiple dates and delivered a consolidated judgment addressing issues of tribal rights, forest rights recognition, lawful road alignment, and protection of scheduled tribe communities from displacement without following the procedure prescribed under the Forest Rights Act and allied laws.
Catchwords:
Public Interest Litigation
tribal rights
forest dwellers
road realignment
Comprehensive Development Plan
eviction
demolition
scheduled tribes
Forest Rights Act
Bhubaneswar Development Authority
writ of mandamus
writ of certiorari
writ of prohibition
displacement
religious shrines
community structures
© LegalFirms.in — Headnote is proprietary. Raw judgment text is in the public domain
per Section 52(1)(p) of the Copyright Act, 1957.
Full Judgment Text
```json
{
"title": "All Are Residents Of Village: Chunukoli vs State Of Odisha",
"case_number": "W.P.(C) No.6497 of 2024 and W.P.(C) No.15819 of 2025",
"side": "constitutional",
"date_of_judgment": "2026-03-18",
"bench": "Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Murahari Sri Raman",
"reportable": false,
"parties_petitioner": "Basanta Digi and others (All residents of Village Chunukoli) and Ranjan Nayak",
"parties_respondent": "State of Odisha and others",
"result": "other",
"headnote": "The petitioners, tribal community members residing in the forest area of Andharua Gram Pa
Full text available to subscribers
Subscribe to access complete judgment text, daily digests, and AI-powered legal research tools.
For informational and research purposes only.
View Subscription Plans →
Annual plans from ₹1,599/year
This page is for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Consult a qualified advocate for advice specific to your situation.
