517 Acres of Kengeri Forest Land Ordered in Favour of One Individual

Bangalore Mail News Desk

Bangalore, Dec. 4, 2025:

A Karnataka High Court order directing revenue authorities to enter the name of a private individual, M.B. Nemanagowda, in official land records for 517 acres of forest land near Kengeri has triggered serious concern within the Forest Department.

The disputed land—spread across Survey Numbers 4, 48, 90, 91, and 92 of B.M. Kaval in Kengeri Hobli—forms part of a 532-acre tract, of which 517 acres are notified reserve forest. The market value of the land is estimated between ₹25,000 crore and ₹30,000 crore.

Petition Moved and Cleared Within 17 Days

Nemanagowda filed a writ petition on August 13, 2025, claiming that the land had been granted to him decades ago under orders of the Special Deputy Commissioner (Inam Abolition), Hassan Division. He produced documents dated December 20, 1973, and asserted that his name had appeared in revenue records between 1974 and 1981 before the Forest Department took over the land and his name was removed.

The High Court heard the petition and, on August 30—within 17 days—directed the Bengaluru South Tahsildar to enter Nemanagowda’s name in the revenue records within 90 days. The court also recorded that the Additional Government Advocate had appeared in the matter.

Forest Department Caught Unaware

Forest officials say they were never informed about the case at the High Court stage. They reportedly became aware only when individuals approached the department seeking to purchase portions of the land, citing the court order.

Following this, officials consulted the then Additional Advocate General K.P. Yoganna. Initial advice was to file an appeal against the order, but this was later withdrawn, with Yoganna stating that the case may not be suitable for appeal. Subsequent scrutiny revealed that most of the land is part of the notified B.M. Kaval reserve forest.

Officials now allege that some documents submitted by the petitioner may have been forged.

Minister Seeks Appeal and Criminal Action

Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has taken note of the developments and directed officials to challenge the High Court order. He has also instructed them to file police complaints regarding alleged forgery of documents.

Khandre has questioned how land notified as reserve forest since 1935 could have been granted by the Hassan Special Deputy Commissioner, and why the state’s legal representatives did not contest the writ petition more strongly. He has asked officials to bring the applicability of the Land Ceiling Act and other legal provisions to the attention of the court during the appeal process.