Supreme Court Halts Uriamghat Evictions, Grants Interim Relief

The Supreme Court on Friday granted an interim stay on the eviction and demolition drive in Uriamghatand surrounding villages of Assam’s Golaghat district, providing major relief to hundreds of families facing displacement.

The order came while hearing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the Gauhati High Court’s refusal to protect residents who claim to have lived in the area for more than seven decades. The petitioners argued that many families have documentary recognition by the State and cannot be forcibly evicted without following due process.

The plea contended that such actions would violate provisions of the Assam Forest Regulation, 1891, the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and constitutional safeguards guaranteeing rehabilitation and settlement inquiry before eviction.

The matter was argued by senior advocates Chander Uday Singh and Rauf Rahim, along with advocate-on-record Adeel Ahmed, assisted by Abdur Razzaq.

Uriamghat’s largest forest eviction

A major eviction operation has unfolded in the Rengma Reserve Forest at Uriamghat, Golaghat district. Beginning on July 29, 2025, Assam authorities mobilised nearly 700–800 police officers, alongside CRPF units and forest officials, deploying heavy machinery such as bulldozers and excavators to clear encroachments from an estimated 11,000 bighas of forest land. The drive is part of the state’s largest-ever push to reclaim protected forest areas and restore ecological balance. Over 70% of families targeted, largely from Muslim communities with a "Miya" identity, have vacated, many relocating to ancestral homes in central Assam’s Nagaon and Morigaon districts, prompting concerns over potential land conflicts and unauthorised resettlement.

Also Read: "Eviction Based On Religion Led To Naga Aggression": Akhil Gogoi On Uriamghat