Proclamation by Forest Settlement-officer
Section 6 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 deals with proclamation by Forest Settlement-officer. When a notification has been issued under section 4, the Forest Settlement-officer shall publish in the local vernacular in every town and village in the neighbourhood of the land comprised therein, a proclamation-- (a) specifying, as nearly as possible, the situation and limits of the proposed fore The Act came into force on 21 Sep 1927.
When a notification has been issued under section 4, the Forest Settlement-officer shall publish in the local vernacular in every town and village in the neighbourhood of the land comprised therein, a proclamation--
(a) specifying, as nearly as possible, the situation and limits of the proposed forest;
(b) explaining the consequences which, as hereinafter provided, will ensue on the reservation of such forest; and
(c) fixing a period of not less than three months from the date of such proclamation, and requiring every person claiming any right mentioned in section 4 or section 5 within such period either to present to the Forest Settlement-officer a written notice specifying or to appear before him and state, the nature of such right and the amount and particulars of the compensation (if any) claimed in respect thereof.
Section 6, The Indian Forest Act, 1927 (Act 16 of 1927).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Divisional Forest Officer Kaimer For. Div vs Hari Shankar Singh
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
When a final notification under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 declaring land as a Reserved Forest is duly published, and a person claiming rights in such land fails to respond to the preceding notifications under Sections 4 and 6, all such claimed rights are automatically extinguished by operation of law. Consequently, the deletion of such person's name from revenue records, being a natural consequence of statutory extinguishment of rights, does not require prior notice or hearing, as the right itself ceases to exist by law, not by administrative action. The consolidation authorities are bound by such a notification as if it were a decree of a Civil Court.
On this section: Second notification in forest constitution process; non-response by respondents resulted in loss of rights
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Balgovind Ji Maharaj vs Collector, Maharajganj
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Once a notification under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 declaring land as reserved forest attains finality (by not being assailed within the prescribed time or through valid legal proceedings), the claimant loses all surviving rights, title, or interest in such land, and cannot subsequently invoke the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to recover or challenge such rights. Finality of forest notifications is irreversible and does not permit collateral challenge after the passage of time.
On this section: This section provides the procedure for raising objections to Section 4 notifications. The court noted that the appellant raised objections under this section in 1954, which were eventually rejected by the Governor's order of 1959.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… The petition has been contested amongst others on the ground that Rani Bhuwan Kumari W/o Raja Pratap Vikram Shah has no rights in the disputed plots because after issuing notification under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act on 29.3.1954, she filed an objection under Section 6/9 of Indian Forest Act before the Forest Settlement Officer, Nighasan Kheri which was rejected on 30.9.1958, a copy of which has been annexed as Annexure CA-1 to the counter affidavit. Against that order Rani Bhuwan Kumari filed an appeal before the Deputy Commissioner, Kheri, which was also dismissed on 30.4.1959, …
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… present petition has been filed claiming that the State Government issued a notification under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 which included the property of the petitioners, and as no notice was given to the petitioners. They could not file the objections before the Forest Settlement Officer under Section 6 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. It is further stated that when the petitioners were threatened with dispossession, they had filed a Suit No.265 of 2019 on 16.3.2019 seeking remedy under Section 9/11 of the Indian Forest Act before the Forest Settlement Officer, Obra, Sonebhadra. The said suit is still pending. …
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… The present petition has been filed claiming that the State Government issued a notification under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 which included the property of the petitioners, and as no notice was given to the petitioners. They could not file the objections before the Forest Settlement Officer under Section 6 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. It is further stated that when the petitioners were threatened with dispossession, they had filed a Suit No.265 of 2019 on 16.3.2019 seeking remedy under Section 9/11 of the Indian Forest Act before the Forest Settlement Officer, Obra, Sonebhadra. The said suit is still pending. …
Made under this section, and citing it
1 instrument names this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 6
What have the courts held on Section 6 of the Indian Forest Act?
Divisional Forest Officer Kaimer For. Div vs Hari Shankar Singh (16 Dec 2014) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Second notification in forest constitution process; non-response by respondents resulted in loss of rights. Another 1 judgment on this section is set out below, all of them from the Supreme Court. They run from 2014 to 2016.
How do I find court cases under Section 6 of the Indian Forest Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Indian Forest Act 1927 6, section 6 Indian Forest Act 1927, section 6 of the Indian Forest Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 2 reported judgments on this section are set out on this page, beginning with Divisional Forest Officer Kaimer For. Div vs Hari Shankar Singh (16 Dec 2014).
What should I read with Section 6 of the Indian Forest Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 4 (Notification by State Government), section 5 (Bar of accrual of forest-rights), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 3 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. One instrument names it without being made under it, most recently The Indian Forest Act, 1927 (1990).
When did Section 6 of the Indian Forest Act come into force?
Section 6 of the Indian Forest Act, cited as Indian Forest Act 1927 6, came into force on 21 Sep 1927, having been enacted on 21 Sep 1927. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 52. Seizure of property liable to confiscation4491 words
- 38. Protection of forests at request of owners2928 words
- 61. Saving of power to release property seized2876 words
- 82. Recovery of money due to Government2108 words
- 20. Notification declaring forest reserved1635 words
- 2. Interpretation clause1380 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 18 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.