Most of the North East enjoys unbridled authority over forests unlike the rest of the country, free from state control under the debilitating impact of the colonial-era Indian Forest Act, 1927. Therefore, the Forest Rights Act, 2006 is perceived as irrelevant. But, the sweeping expansion of how “forest” is defined in law by the Supreme Court and its proposed incorporation into the Indian Forest Act threatens the customary forest rights of these peoples.
