In July 2025, Himachal Pradesh witnessed widespread outrage over the felling of illegally grown apple trees on forest land, following a High Court order directing officials to remove encroachments spread across 243 hectares. Apple growers, however, termed the move ‘anti-farmer’ and stated that these orchards were planted decades ago and are a source of livelihood for thousands of families.
Later that month, the Supreme Court stayed the Forest Department’s drive to clear apple orchards on forest land across Shimla, providing some relief to ongoing protests by the state’s apple growers. On 2 July 2025, the High Court had ordered the state government to clear apple orchards on forest land in Himachal Pradesh and plant native forest species on those lands. It stated that “fruit-bearing trees are not forest species” and further allowed the cost of removal—cutting, removal of stumps and plantation of forest species—to be recovered from the encroachers.
The state government had also filed an application in the High Court asking to halt the order until the harvest season is over, so fruit-laden trees are not felled, but the High Court rejected the application.
The process of clearing approximately 600 acres of forest land by the state Forest Department started in the Kotkhai subdivision, from Chaithla village, known for its high production of apples. The Forest Department then moved to clearing orchards in the other areas of upper Shimla, including Kotgarh and Rohru. According to state government data, at least 3,659 apple and other fruit-bearing trees had been felled on encroached forest land till 15 July 2025. This included land in Chaithla (2,456 trees felled), Rohru (713) and Kotgarh (490).
In response to the widespread felling of trees, former Shimla Deputy Mayor Tikender Singh Panwar and activist advocate Rajiv Rai moved the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court order. The petition dated 27.7.2025 stated that “that such large-scale tree felling, particularly heightens the risk of landslides and soil erosion in Himachal Pradesh…Apple orchards, far from being mere encroachments, contribute to soil stability, provide habitats for local wildlife, and form the backbone of the state's economy, supporting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers.” The petitioners further submitted that the High Court order, which mandated the “blanket removal” of apple orchards without conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), is “arbitrary and contravenes the precautionary principle, a cornerstone of environmental jurisprudence.”
The Supreme Court heard the case on 28 July and stayed the order of the High Court preventing the further felling of apple trees on forest land in Himachal Pradesh. The court also allowed the state government to auction the apples. While the Supreme Court Stay order provided some relief to the apple growers, farmers across the state, backed by various farm unions, staged a protest outside the state secretariat to protest eviction and felling of fruit-laden trees. The farmers held that they would continue to fight for their demand for regularising their rights on forest land in Himachal Pradesh.
The apple growers in Himachal Pradesh have a prolonged struggle of being termed as encroachers by various governments and court orders since the implementation of the Forest Conservation Act in 1980. Since there was no proper demarcation of forest land, many apple farmers expanded their agricultural land on forest land to support their livelihood.
The farmers have, over the years, demanded that their occupation of the common land be regularised, and eviction drives against them by considering them as encroachers be stopped. While various governments have initiated policies to regularise the occupation of forest land by apple growers, the implementation has largely been on paper.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Opposition against environmental degradation
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common
Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project stalled due to protests
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Agricultural land, Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Yes
Source/Reference
In July 2025, the Supreme Court stayed the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s order requiring the state government to remove fruit-bearing apple orchards from encroached forest lands. The Himachal Pradesh High Court had on 2 July 2025 directed the Forest Department to remove the apple orchards and plant forest species in their place, with costs to be recovered from encroachers as arrears of land revenue.
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Environmental Law, Other, Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
Yes
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Supreme Court; Himachal Pradesh High Court
Case Number
CWPIL No.17 of 2024
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Himachal Kisan Sabha and Seb Utpadak Sangh
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
