Vidhi Codex

Bare Act

The Tamil Nadu Forest Act 1882

Environmental1882113 sections

The Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882 provides a comprehensive legal framework for the protection, management, and regulation of forests and forest produce across Tamil Nadu. It empowers the state government to declare government land as reserved forests, regulate transit of timber, protect specified high-value royalty trees such as sandalwood, and restrict unauthorized clearing, grazing, or hunting. The law applies to all residents, landholders, forest officers, and commercial entities operating within the state. By establishing clear procedures to settle private land rights while penalizing illegal exploitation, the Act matters because it safeguards biodiversity, prevents environmental degradation, maintains water supplies, and preserves vital forest resources for long-term ecological balance.

Start reading →Read full ActSections
  1. 1. Short Title
  2. 1-A. Section 1-A
  3. 2. Interpretation clause
  4. 3. Power to Reserve Forests
  5. 4. Notification by the Government
  6. 5. Suits barred
  7. 6. Proclamation by Forest settlement officer
  8. 7. Bar of accrual
  9. 8. Enquiry by Forest Settlement Officer
  10. 9. Powers of Forest Settlement Officer
  11. 10. Claims other than rights of way, watercourse, pasture or forest produce
  12. 11. Claims to rights of way watercourse pasture and to Forest produce
  13. 12. Provision of rights of pasture or to Forest produce admitted
  14. 13. Commutation of such rights
  15. 14. Appeal from order passed under sections 11, 12 and 13
  16. 15. Appeal under section 14
  17. 16. Notification declaring forest reserved
  18. 17. Extinction of rights not claimed
  19. 17-A. Power of the Government to redefine the limits of reserved forests in certain cases.
  20. 21. Penalties for trespass or damage in reserved forests and acts prohibited in such forests
  21. 22. Suspension of right in reserved forest
  22. 23. Persons bound to assist forest officer and police officer
  23. 24. Power to declare Forest no longer reserve
  24. 25. Forest reserved previous to the passing of this Act
  25. 26. Power to make rules
  26. 27. Power to close land against pasture
  27. 28. Penalties
  28. 28-A. Penalties for breach of rules made under section 26
  29. 29. On certain lands, the breaking up or clearing for cultivation, etc may be regulated for prohibited
  30. 30. In case of refusal by owner Government may take such lands on lease or acquire them
  31. 31. Acquisition of forest or land under the Land Acquisition Act
  32. 32. Protection of forest at request of owners
  33. 33. Management of forests, the joint property of Government and other persons
  34. 34. Persons employed to carry out the Act to be deemed Forest Officer
  35. 35. Rules to regulate transit of forest produce
  36. 35-A. Power of Central Government to movements of timber across frontiers
  37. 35-B. Penalties for breach of rules made under section 35
  38. 36. Penalties for breach of rules made under sections 35 and 35A
  39. 36-A. Possession of sandalwood under licence
  40. 36-B. Form and Conditions of licence
  41. 36-C. Power to cancel or suspend licence
  42. 36-D. Appeal
  43. 36-E. Penalties
  44. 37. Appointment and constitution of the Forest Court
  45. 38. The Judge appointed to be the President
  46. 39. Hearing of appeals
  47. 40. Section 40
  48. 40-A. Certain kinds of timber to be deemed property of Government until thereto proved, and may be collected accordingly
  49. 40-B. Notice to claimants of timber collected under section 40-A
  50. 40-C. Procedure on claim preferred to such timber
  51. 40-D. Disposal of unclaimed timber
  52. 40-E. Payments to be made by claimant before timber is delivered to him.
  53. 40-F. Power to make rules & prescribe penalties
  54. 40-G. Royalties
  55. 40-H. Notice of proposal to cut and remove royalty trees
  56. 40-I. Joint mahazar to be prepared before removal of the trees
  57. 40-J. Notice calling claims for kudivila
  58. 40-K. Inquiry by Forest Officer into claims for kudivila
  59. 40-L. Award to be made after inquiry
  60. 40-M. Reference to Court
  61. 40-N. Forest Officer statement to Court
  62. 40-O. Service of notice
  63. 40-P. Scope of the inquiry
  64. 40-Q. Form of award by Court
  65. 40-R. Tendering payment
  66. 40-S. Forest offence to carry out the Court's awards as his own
  67. 40-T. Bar of claims to kudivila
  68. 40-U. Rules to be made by Government
  69. 40-V. Punishment for felling etc, trees which are royalties
  70. 40-W. Other provisions not affected
  71. 40-X. Extension of Tami Nadu Act V of 1882 and certain other Act in transferred territory repeals and savings
  72. 41. Seizure of property liable to confiscation
  73. 42. Procedure thereupon
  74. 43. Timber, forest produce, tools etc, which liable to confiscation
  75. 44. Disposal, on conclusion of trial of forest offence of produce in respect of which it was committed
  76. 45. Procedure when offender is not known or cannot be found
  77. 46. Procedure in regard to perishable property seized under section-41
  78. 47. Appeal from orders under section 43, 44 or 45
  79. 48. Property when to vest in the State
  80. 49. Saving of power to release property seized
  81. 49-A. Confiscation by Forest Officers in certain cases
  82. 49-B. Issue of show cause notice before confiscation under section 49-A
  83. 49-C. Revision
  84. 49-D. Appeal
  85. 49-E. Award of confiscation no ban for infliction of any punishment
  86. 49-F. Property confiscated to vest with Government
  87. 49-G. Bar of jurisdiction in certain cases
  88. 50. Penalty for counterfeiting or defacing marks on trees and timber and for altering boundary marks
  89. 51. Power to arrest without warrant
  90. 52. Punishment for wrongful seizure or arrest
  91. 53. Power to prevent commission of offence
  92. 54. Operation of other laws not barred
  93. 55. Power to compound offences
  94. 56. Presumption that timber or
  95. 56-A. Punishment for habitual offence
  96. 56-B. Certain offences to be non-bailable
  97. 56-C. Offences under the Act to be cognizable
  98. 56-D. Presumption as to commission of offence in respect of scheduled timber
  99. 56-E. Power to amend schedule
  100. 57. Cattle Trespass Act, 1871 to apply
  101. 58. Power to alter fines fixed by that Act.
  102. 59. Government may invest Forest Officers with certain power
  103. 60. Forest officers deemed public servants
  104. 61. Indemnity for acts done in good faith
  105. 62. Omitted
  106. 63. Additional powers to made rules
  107. 64. Rules when to have force of law
  108. 64-A. Rules to be placed before the legislative
  109. 65. Government may delegate powers
  110. 66. Recovery of money due to Government
  111. 67. Lieu on forest produce for such money
  112. 68. Land required under this Act to be deemed to be needed for public purpose under the Land Acquisition Act
  113. 68-A. Liability of person un-authorisedly occupying any land in reserved forest etc, to summary eviction.

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