Jharkhand High Court Directs Authorities to Prevent Re-Encroachment on Cleared Government Land, Disposes PIL
WP. (PIL) No. 369 of 2026
By Rishika Sinha
The Jharkhand High Court disposed of a public interest litigation concerning encroachment on government land, emphasising that administrative authorities must not only remove encroachments but also ensure that such illegal occupation does not recur.
The petition was filed alleging inaction on the part of authorities in removing encroachments over specified government land in Chakradharpur, District West Singhbhum. The grievance was that, despite the land being public property, no effective steps had been taken to clear illegal occupation.
In response, the State placed on record that multiple notices had been issued to the encroachers and, upon their failure to comply, proceedings were initiated under the Public Land Encroachment Act. It was further submitted that, with police assistance, the encroachments had already been removed and supporting photographs were also produced. The petitioner, however, maintained that some encroachments persisted. Notably, no rejoinder was filed to controvert the State’s stand.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M. S. Sonak and Justice Deepak Roshan observed that if any encroachment still remained, the petitioner was at liberty to approach the Deputy Commissioner, who would verify and take appropriate action. More importantly, the Court went a step further and stressed the need for preventive governance, directing the Deputy Commissioner to ensure that the cleared land does not get re-encroached in future. With these observations and directions, the PIL was disposed of.
