The Indian Forest Act

An Act to consolidate the law relating to forests, the transit of forest-produce and the duty leviable on timber and other forest-produce.
1927
List of Chapters & Sections
  1. All sections

  2. 1
     Short title and extent
  3. 2
     Interpretation clause
  4. 3
     Power to reserve forests
  5. 4
     Notification by State Government
  6. 5
     Bar of accrual of forest-rights
  7. 6
     Proclamation by Forest Settlement-officer
  8. 7
     Inquiry by Forest Settlement-officer
  9. 8
     Powers of Forest Settlement-officer
  10. 9
     Extinction of rights
  11. 10
     Treatment of claims relating to practice of shifting cultivation
  12. 11
     Power to acquire land over which right is claimed
  13. 12
     Order on claims to rights of pasture or to forest-produce
  14. 13
     Record to be made by Forest Settlement-officer
  15. 14
     Record where he admits claim
  16. 15
     Exercise of rights admitted
  17. 16
     Commutation of rights
  18. 17
     Appeal from order passed under section 11, section 12, section 15 or section 16
  19. 18
     Appeal under section 17
  20. 19
     Pleaders
  21. 20
     Notification declaring forest reserved
  22. 21
     Publication of translation of such notification in neighbourhood of forest
  23. 22
     Power to revise arrangement made under section 15 or section 18
  24. 23
     No right acquired over reserved forest, except as here provided
  25. 24
     Rights not to be alienated without sanction
  26. 25
     Power to stop ways and water-courses in reserved forests
  27. 26
     Acts prohibited in such forests
  28. 27
     Power to declare forest no longer reserved
  29. 28
     Formation of village-forests
  30. 29
     Protected forests
  31. 30
     Power to issue notification reserving trees, etc
  32. 31
     Publication of translation of such notification in neighbourhood
  33. 32
     Power to make rules for protected forests
  34. 33
     Penalties for acts in contravention of notification under section 30 or of rules under section 32
  35. 34
     Nothing in this Chapter to prohibit acts done in certain cases
  36. 35
     Protection of forests for special purposes
  37. 36
     Power to assume management of forests
  38. 37
     Expropriation of forests in certain cases
  39. 38
     Protection of forests at request of owners
  40. 39
     Power to impose duty on timber and other forest-produce
  41. 40
     Limit not to apply to purchase-money or royalty
  42. 41
     Power to make rules to regulate transit of forest-produce
  43. 41A
     Powers of Central Government as to movements of timber across customs frontiers
  44. 42
     Penalty for breach of rules made under section 41
  45. 43
     Governments and Forest-officers not liable for damage to forest-produce at depot
  46. 44
     All persons bound to aid in case of accident at depot
  47. 45
     Certain kinds of timber to be deemed property of Government until title thereto proved, and may be collected accordingly
  48. 46
     Notice to claimants of drift-timber
  49. 47
     Procedure on claim preferred to such timber
  50. 48
     Disposal of unclaimed timber
  51. 49
     Government and its officers not liable for damage to such timber
  52. 50
     Payments to be made by claimant before timber is delivered to him
  53. 51
     Power to make rules and prescribe penalties
  54. 52
     Seizure of property liable to confiscation
  55. 53
     Power to release property seized under section 52
  56. 54
     Procedure thereupon
  57. 55
     Forest-produce, tools, etc., when liable to confiscation
  58. 56
     Disposal, on conclusion of trial for forest-offence, of produce in respect of which it was committed
  59. 57
     Procedure when offender not known, or cannot be found
  60. 58
     Procedure as to perishable property seized under section 52
  61. 59
     Appeal from orders under section .55, section 56 or section 57
  62. 60
     Property when to vest in Government
  63. 61
     Saving of power to release property seized
  64. 62
     Punishment for wrongful seizure
  65. 63
     Penalty for counterfeiting or defacing marks on trees and timber and for altering boundary-marks
  66. 64
     Power to arrest without warrant
  67. 65
     Power to release on a bond a person arrested
  68. 66
     Power to prevent commission of offence
  69. 67
     Power to try offences summarily
  70. 68
     Power to compound offences
  71. 69
     Presumption that forest-produce belongs to Government
  72. 70
     Cattle-trespass Act, 1871, to apply
  73. 71
     Power to alter fines fixed under that Act
  74. 72
     State Government may invest Forest-officers with certain powers
  75. 73
     Forest-officers deemed public servants
  76. 74
     Indemnity for acts done in good faith
  77. 75
     Forest-officers not to trade
  78. 76
     Additional powers to make rules
  79. 77
     Penalties for breach of rules
  80. 78
     Rules when to have force of law
  81. 79
     Persons bound to assist Forest-officers and police-officers
  82. 80
     Management of forests the joint property of Government and other persons
  83. 81
     Failure to perform service for which a share in produce of Government forest is enjoyed
  84. 82
     Recovery of money due to Government
  85. 83
     Lien on forest-produce for such money
  86. 84
     Land required under this Act to be deemed to be needed for a public purpose under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894
  87. 85
     Recovery of penalties due under bond
  88. 85A
     Saving for rights of Central Government
  89. 86
     [Repealed.]