Tamil Nadu files review petition against Supreme Court's Megamalai eviction order
The Tamil Nadu government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against its order directing the eviction of people and farmers from the Megamalai region in Theni district. The move follows the direction of the Chief Minister, the state's Law Minister said on Monday while responding to a special calling-attention motion in the Assembly.
The Law Minister said the petition had been filed and the case was likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday.
He attributed the present situation to the failure of the earlier DMK and AIADMK governments to handle the issue properly. The region was declared a Reserve Forest in 2009 during the DMK regime, and later declared the Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve in February 2021 when the AIADMK was in power. "If the governments had handled the issue properly and exempted deserving people, we would not have faced the present situation," he said.
The Minister further explained that a central team had toured the State for eight months between July 2025 and February 2026. Based on the documents submitted by the committee, the Supreme Court delivered its order on eviction. He expressed regret that if the government had provided adequate documents and evidence to the team, the people could have been exempted.
The Megamalai region is known for its biodiversity and is part of the Western Ghats. The eviction order affects residents and farmers who have been living in the area. The state government's review petition seeks to protect the interests of the affected people, arguing that they deserve exemption for various reasons, including long-standing habitation and dependence on the land.
The Supreme Court's order is part of efforts to clear forest land of encroachment and unauthorised occupation. However, the Tamil Nadu government maintains that there are many genuine cases of people who have lived in the region for generations and rely on the land for their livelihood. The state believes that these families should not be displaced without proper consideration of their claims.
A review petition is a legal recourse that asks the court to reconsider its own judgment. Unlike an appeal, which is heard by a higher court, a review is heard by the same bench or a bench of the same court. The Supreme Court generally accepts review petitions when there is an error apparent on the face of the record or if new evidence has emerged. In this case, the state government is likely to argue that the eviction order was passed without fully considering the documentation and evidence that could have exempted certain people.
The matter is set to be heard later this week, and its outcome will be crucial for thousands of families in the Megamalai region. The state government has expressed hope that the court will take a compassionate view and allow deserving residents to remain in their homes. At the same time, the court's larger objective of protecting forest land remains a key consideration.
This development comes amid growing debates across India about the balance between environmental conservation and the rights of local communities. The Megamalai case is expected to set a precedent for similar disputes in other parts of the country.
