THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY Contempt Case No.283 of 2011 Dated 20th June, 2011 Between: Vanki Prathap Kumar …Petitioner And The Chief Conservator of Forests, Government of A.P., Hyderabad and others …Respondents Counsel for the petitioner: Sri K.Muralidhar Reddy Counsel for respondents: GP for Forests The Court made the following: ORDER: This contempt case is filed alleging wilful disobedience of order, dated 21.02.2011, in W.P.M.P.No.4987 of 2011 in W.P.No.4032 of 2011. By the aforementioned order, this Court observed that prima facie the joint survey reports, dated 30.04.2010 and 21.08.2010, reveal that the land to an extent of Acs.26.86 cents in Survey No.1903/1, including Acs.15.00 in possession of the petitioner, does not form part of Ambapuram reserve forest. Accordingly, respondent Nos.3 to 8 in the writ petition, who include the Forest Range Officer, Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore District, against whom, serious allegations of contempt are made, were directed not to interfere with the possession of the petitioner in respect of land to an extent of Acs.15.00 in Survey No.1903/1. But the contemnor has issued letter, dated 05.03.2011, addressed to the petitioner, wherein he has stated that the land in possession of the petitioner vested with the forest department and that any non–forest activity in the land will attract the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. However, after notice in the contempt case was served on him, he has addressed another letter, wherein he has purported to clarify that the earlier letter was with reference to the land vested in the reserve forest and that he was withdrawing that letter. Though in the counter affidavit, the contemnor sought to project that even Survey No.1903/1 of Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore District is part of reserve forest, he has filed an additional counter affidavit, wherein he has stated that he has not been interfering with the petitioner’s possession of the land in Survey No.1903/1 and that he was only preventing the petitioner from attempting to clear the bushes with the help of JCB in the land belonging to the forest department. At the hearing, the contemnor is present. The learned Government Pleader for Forests representing him submitted that the contemnor will not interfere with the petitioner’s possession of Acs.15.00 of land so long as the interim order is in force. Even though the stand taken by the contemnor appears to be patently contradictory, in view of the remedial steps taken by him by withdrawing the letter, dated 05.03.2011, and filing additional counter affidavit undertaking not to interfere with the petitioner’s possession of Acs.15.00 of land in Survey No.1903/1, he purged the contempt, if any. For the above-mentioned reasons, the contempt case is closed with liberty to the petitioner to seek revival of the same in the event the respondents, including the contemnor, seek to interfere with his possession of the land admeasuring Acs.15.00 in Survey No.1903/1 so long as the interim order passed in the writ petition continues to be in force. C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY, J 20th June, 2011 VGB