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Indian Forest Act, 1927

Section 29: Protected forests

(1) The [State Government] may, by notification in the [Official Gazette], declare the provisions of this Chapter applicable to any forest-land or waste-land which is not included in a reserved forest, but which is the property of Government, or over which the Government has proprietary rights, or to the whole or any part of the forests produce of which the Government is entitled.

(2) The forest-land and waste-lands comprised in any such notification shall be called a protected forests.

(3) No such notification shall be made unless the nature and extent of the rights of Government and of private persons in or over the forest-land or waste-land comprisedtherein have been inquired into and recorded at a survey or settlement, or in such other manner as the [State Government] thinks sufficient.

Every such record shall be presumed to be correct until the contrary is proved:

Provided that, if, in the case of any forest-land or waste-land, the [State Government] thinks that such inquiry and record are necessary, but that they will occupy such length of time as in the mean time to endanger the rights of Government, the [State Government] may, pending such inquiry and record, declare such land to be a protected forest, but so as not to abridge or affect any existing rights of individuals or communities.

State amendments to this section

Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh (UTs).—

Section 29A.- After section 29, insert the following section-

29A. Undemarcated forests deemed to be protected forests.- (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or any other law for the time being in force, any undemarcated forest (which means and includes all forest land other than demarcated forest which is the property of the Government of Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and is not appropriated for any specific purpose and includes all the undemarcated and berun line forest vested in the Forest Department under the provisions of section 48 of the Jammu and Kashmir Village Panchayat Act, 1958 or any other law for the time being in force), prior to the appointed day notified under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, shall be deemed to be a protected forest under this Act.

(2) All questions decided, orders issued and records prepared in connection with the constitution of such forest as undemarcated forests shall be deemed to have been decided, issued and prepared under this Act, and the provisions of this Act relating to protected forests shall apply to forest to which the provision of sub-section (1) are applicable.

[Vide the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Adaptation of Central Laws) Order, 2020, notification No. S.O. 1123(E) dated (18-3-2020) and Vide Union Territory of Ladakh Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Order, 2020, notification No. S.O. 3774(E), dated (23-10-2020).]

Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.

Supreme Court judgments citing the section 29