In February, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of evicting more than 10 lakh tribals from forest land, over which they could not prove their ownership.

• Wildlife and nature preservation groups in India believe that tribal people are harmful for forest and wildlife protection. Hence, they had filed a petition against the Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, 2006, which protects the rights of the indigenous people who have inhabited these forests for years. 
• The Supreme Court's February ruling came in response to this very petition. However, pro-tribal activists maintain that the act is important to protect not only the livelihoods of the tribals, but also the forests from the actual encroachers i.e. commercial realtors and state governments.  
• Sanitizing the forests of its people is not an effective way of restoring forest health! In West Bengal, Haryana, Gujarat, Orissa, and Jammu and Kashmir, it was found that when government forest staff collaborate meaningfully with the rural communities, management problems can be overcome in the interest of all. Instead of being progressively degraded through overgrazing and cutting, forest lands can begin to regenerate dramatically. Overall forest productivity increases, as fodder grasses, fuel-wood and other forest products also become more abundant.
• It is unfair to expect tribal people to file petitions and provide documents to prove their legitimacy. Most jungle dwellers are not literate and the abstract idea of 'forest rights' is unknown to them. The procedure required each tribe to provide 13 different kinds of proof to verify their claims.
• “The judgement is a death sentence for millions of tribal people in India,” said Stephen Corry, head of Survival International, a human rights organisation that campaigns for the rights of indigenous peoples. If this ruling is carried out, it will lead to a humanitarian crisis and social unrest within the borders of our country. 

Please help me take this message to the Supreme Court, and prevent a nation-wide human rights catastrophe from happening. Sign and forward this petition in your circles. Thank you!

Shivangi Singh

singh.shivangi09@gmail.com