CURRENT AFFAIRS | 28 MAY 2026
The Centre’s Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), in its 8 May 2026 meeting whose minutes surfaced this week, has cleared in-principle Stage-I forest clearance for the Kente Extension coal block in the Hasdeo Aranya forests of Chhattisgarh – despite the area being classified as a “high conservation value zone” by the State’s own Decision Support System (DSS). The clearance, granted to Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RVUNL), authorises the felling of an estimated 4.48 lakh trees over 740.65 hectares of dense forest for a 9 MT-per-year coal mine. Tribal Gram Sabhas of Salhi, Hariharpur, Fatehpur and Ghatbarra – and the Chhattisgarh State Government itself – have publicly opposed the move.
Constitutional & Statutory Framework
- Article 48A (DPSP): “The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country.”
- Article 51A(g) (Fundamental Duty): Duty of every citizen “to protect and improve the natural environment.”
- Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (now Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 – after 2023 amendment): Section 2 – no forest land may be diverted to non-forest use without prior Central permission; Section 3 establishes the FAC.
- Forest Rights Act, 2006: Section 4(5), 5 + Rule 4 – recognises Individual + Community Forest Rights; Gram Sabha consent is mandatory before diversion.
- PESA 1996: Sec 4(d), (i), (k) – mandates Gram Sabha consultation before land acquisition in Fifth Schedule areas.
- Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016: Statutory creation of National + State CAMPA funds for compensatory afforestation.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Governs adjacent sanctuaries and the wildlife clearance dimension.
The CLAT Angle – Why This Matters
The Hasdeo Aranya dispute is the modern textbook conflict between India’s energy-security imperative (5,800 MW Rajasthan thermal demand) and the constitutional + statutory rights of Adivasi communities over their forest commons. For CLAT, the case-law sequence is gold:
- Orissa Mining Corporation v Ministry of Environment & Forest (2013) – the Niyamgiri verdict – held that Gram Sabhas have a decisive say on whether mining can disturb a community’s religious or cultural rights. Effectively a Gram Sabha veto on the Vedanta bauxite project.
- T N Godavarman Thirumulpad v Union of India (1996 onwards) – the continuing mandamus that expanded the definition of “forest” to any area with dictionary-meaning forest characteristics, and brought all such land under FCA 1980’s prior-permission rule.
- M C Mehta v Union of India line – the polluter-pays + precautionary principle reading of Article 21.
The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 – challenged before the Supreme Court – narrowed the definition of “forest” and exempted strategic/linear projects within 100 km of international borders + parcels under 10 hectares from prior Central permission. The Kente Extension clearance is the first major commercial diversion under the amended regime.
Key Facts – Memorize These
| Mine | Kente Extension coal block, Hasdeo Aranya, Chhattisgarh |
| Clearance | FAC Stage-I in-principle approval; meeting 8 May 2026 |
| Allottee | Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RVUNL) |
| MDO history | Adani Group (via PEKB and adjacent Hasdeo blocks) |
| Forest area | 740.65 hectares; 4.48 lakh trees to be felled |
| Output | 9 MT/year; for 5,800 MW Rajasthan thermal demand |
| Compensatory afforestation | 3,233 ha of degraded forest in Chhattisgarh; 636 ha is unclassed “orange forest” |
| Gram Sabhas opposing | Salhi, Hariharpur, Fatehpur, Ghatbarra |
| Tribal community | Gond (incl. Pando, Korwa, Oraon) |
| Key case | Niyamgiri / Orissa Mining v MoEF (2013) – Gram Sabha veto |
Memory Hook
“FAC clears, FRA still consents, PESA still binds” – even a Stage-I FAC clearance does not displace the FRA 2006 + PESA 1996 requirement of Gram Sabha consent. The Niyamgiri ratio governs.
“48A is the duty; 51A(g) is the citizen’s mirror” – the two constitutional anchors of environmental protection.
Chhattisgarh’s own government, multiple civil-society coalitions and the affected Gram Sabhas are expected to move the Supreme Court invoking Niyamgiri + the Forest Rights Act. The case will be a key test of whether the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 can survive the constitutional anchor of Article 48A + Article 21 read with the FRA’s statutory Gram Sabha rights.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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