Chapter I PRELIMINARY

1. (1) This Act may be called the Indian Forest Act, 1927. 1[(2) It extends to the whole of India except the territories which, immediately before the 1st November, 1956, were comprised in Part B States.
2. (3) It applies to the territories which, immediately before the 1st November, 1956, were comprised in the States of Bihar, Bombay, Coorg, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal; but the Government of any State may by notification in the Official Gazette bring this Act into force2 in the whole or any specified part of that State to which this Act extends and where it is not in force.] STATE AMENDMENT Maharashtra.-- Amendment of section 1 of Act XVI of 1927.--In section 1 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 (XVI of 1927), in its application to the whole of the State of Maharashtra as provided by section 2 (hereinafter referred to as "the principal Act"),--
   • (i) to sub-section (2), after the words and letter "Part B States", the words "other than the Hyderabad area of the State of Maharashtra" shall be added;
   • (ii) to sub-section (3), the following proviso shall be added, namely:-- "Provided that, on the commencement of the Indian Forest (Maharashtra Unification and Amendment) Act, 1960 (Mah. VI of 1961), this Act shall be in force in the Hyderabad area of the State of Maharashtra." [Vide Maharashtra Act VI of 1961, s. 3]

In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context, --

1. (1) "cattle" includes elephants, camels, buffaloes, horses, mares, geldings, ponies, colts, fillies, mules, asses, pigs, rams, ewes, sheep, lambs, goats and kids;
2. (2) "Forest-officer" means any person whom 1*** the 2[State Government] or any officer empowered by 1*** the 2[State Government] in this behalf, may appoint to carry out all or any of the purposes of this Act or to do anything required by this Act or any rule made there under to be done by a Forest-officer;
3. (3) "forest-offence" means an offence punishable under this Act or under any rule made thereunder;
4. (4) "forest-produce" includes--
   • (a) the following whether found in, or brought from, a forest or not, that is to say:-- timber, charcoal, caoutchouc, catechu, wood-oil, resin, natural varnish, bark, lac, mahua flowers, mahua seeds 3[, kuth] and myrabolams, and
   • (b) the following when found in, or brought from, a forest, that is to say:--
     • (i) trees and leaves, flowers and fruits, and all other parts or produce not hereinbefore mentioned, of trees,
     • (ii) plants not being trees (including grass, creepers, reeds and moss), and all parts or produce of such plants,
     • (iii) wild animals and skins, tusks, horns, bones, silk, cocoons, honey and wax, and all other parts or produce of animals, and
     • (iv) peat, surface soil, rock, and minerals (including limestone, laterite, mineral oils, and all products of mines or quarries); 4[(4A) "owner" includes a Court of Wards in respect of property under the superintendence or charge of such Court;]
5. (5) "river" includes any stream, canal, creek or other channels, natural or artifical;
6. (6) "timber" includes trees when they have fallen or have been felled, and all wood whether cut up or fashioned or hollowed out for any purpose or not; and
7. (7) "tree" includes palms, 5***, stumps, brush-wood and canes. STATE AMENDMENTS Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh (UTs)--
   • (i) Section 2."for clause (1), the following clauses shall be substituted, namely:--
8. (1) "authorised officer" means an officer authorized under sub-section (2) of section 52; (1A) cattle include elephants, camels, buffaloes, horses, mares, geldings, ponies, colts, fillies, mules, asses, pigs, ram, ewes, sheep, lambs, goats and kids; (1B) "forest based industry" means an industry or unit in which any forest produce is used as raw material or as a source of energy.
   • (ii) for clause (4), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:-
9. (4) "forest-produce" include--
   • (a) timber, charcoal, caoutchouc, catechu, wood-oil, resin, natural varnish, bark, lac, kuth, myrobalans, dioscorea, firewood, humus, rasaunt, morels (Morchella spp), Aconitum spp, Podophyllum spp, Picrorhizaspp, Trillium spp, Nardostachys spp, Taxus spp, Valerianassp, Rheum spp, wild animals, skins, tusks, horns, bones and all other parts or produce of wild animals whether found in, or brought from, a forest or not; and
   • (b) the following when found in, or brought from, a forest, namely:--
     • (i) trees and leaves, flowers and fruits, roots and all other parts or produce of trees not specified in clause (a);
     • (ii) plants not being trees (including grass, bamboos, creepers, reeds and moss and lichen), and all parts or produce of such plants;
     • (iii) silk, cocoons, honey and wax; and
     • (iv) peat, surface soil, rock, and minerals (including limestone, laterite, mineral oils, and all products of mines or quarries).
     • (iii) after clause (5), insert the following clause, namely:- (5A) "saw mill" means any plant and machinery with which and the premises (including the precincts thereof) in which or in any part of which sawing is carried on with the aid of electrical or mechanical power.
     • (iv) after clause (6), insert the following clause, namely:- (6A) "transporter" includes a person, a private agency, a Government Department, Corporation or any other agency engaged in transport of forest produce whether on his own or on behalf of any other person;
     • (v) after clause (7), insert the following clause;
10. (8) "wild animal" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. [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).] Tripura.-- Amendment of section 2. --In section 2 of the principal Act,--
    • (a) In clause (4)--
      • (i) in sub-clause (a), for the words "and myrobolams", the words "myrobolams, gum, sal seeds, sal leaves, kendu leaves, wild animals, skins, tusks, horns and bones, and all other parts of produce of wild animals" shall be substituted ;
      • (ii) in sub-clause (b), in item (iii), the words "Wild animals and skins tusks, horns and bones" and the words "and all other parts or produce of animals" shall be omitted;
    • (b) after clause (7), the following clause shall be inserted namely:-- "(8) wild animals shall have same meaning as defined in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.] [Vide the Tripura Act 10 of 1984, s. 3] Uttar Pradesh Amendment of section 2 of Act no. XVI of 1927.--In section 2 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, hereinafter referred to as the principal Act, for clause (1) the following clause shall be substituted, namely:-- "(1) "authorised officer" means an officer authorised under sub-section (1) of section 52-A; (1-A) "cattle" includes elephants, camels, buffaloes, horses, mares, geldings, ponies, colts, fillies, mules, asses, pigs, rams, ewes, sheep, lambs, goats and kids;" [Vide Uttar Pradesh Act 1 of 2001, s. 2] Uttarakhand.-- Amendment of section 2 of Act no. XVI of 1927.--In section 2 of Indian Forest Act, 1927, hereinafter referred to as the principal Act, the following clause shall be inserted, namely:-- 2-A. "authorised officer" means an officer authorised under sub-section (1) of section 52-A. [Vide Uttaranchal Act 10 of 2002, s. 2] Maharashtra.-- Amendment of section 2 of Act XVI of 1927.--In section 2 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, in subclause (4), after the words "tamborni leaves" the words "rosha grass, rauwolfia serpentine" shall be inserted. [Vide Bombay Act XVII of 1956, s. 2] Amendment of section 2 of Act XVI of 1927.--In section 2 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 (hereinafter referred to as "the said Act"), in sub-clause (a) of clause (4), after the word "kuth" the words ", apta and temburni leaves" shall be inserted. [Vide Bombay Act XXIV of 1955, s. 2] Amendment of section 2 of Act XVI of 1927.--In section 2 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, in its application to the State of Maharashtra, in sub-clause (a) of clause (4), for the words", rosha grans, rauwolfia serpentine" the words "rosha grass including oil derived therefrom, ranwolfia serpentine" shall be substituted. [Vide Maharashtra Act XXVII of 1968, s. 2] Amendment of section 2 of Act XVI of 1927.--In section 2 of the principal act, after clause (4A), the following clauses shall be inserted, namely:-- "(4B) "Police Officer" means a Police Officer defined in the Bombay Police Act, 1951; (4C) Revenue Officer means a Revenue Officer as defined in the Bombay Land Revenue Code, 1879, or where that Code is not in force, as defined in a law corresponding to that Code; [Vide Maharashtra Act VI of 1961, s. 4] Insertion of new section 2A in Act XVI of 1927.--After section 2 of the principal Act, the following section shall be inserted, namely:-- "2A. Construction of certain references to Central or Bombay Acts.--In the application of this Act to any area of the State of Maharashtra other than the Bombay area thereof, any reference to a provision of a Central or Bombay Act shall, where no such Act is in force in that area, be construed as a reference to the provision of the corresponding law, if any, in force in that area." [Vide Maharashtra Act VI of 1961, s. 5] Maharashtra.-- Amendment of section 2 of Act XVI of 1927.--In section 2 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, in its application to the State of Maharashtra (hereinafter referred to as "the principal Act"), of In clause (4C), for the words and figures "the Bombay Land Revenue Code, 1879 (Bom. V of 1879), or, where that Code is not in force, as defined in a law corresponding to that Code;" the words and figures "the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 (Mah. XLI of 1966)" shall be substituted. [Vide Maharashtra Act VII of 1985, s. 2]