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Social activist Pape Gowda, earlier this year, had written to Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre to direct forest officials to not only lodge FIRs but also file chargesheet in cases of forest encroachment.
In September this year, Eshwar Khandre had said there is a need to facilitate registration of FIRs in Forest Offence Cases. He had sought the opinion of the Additional Chief Secretary (forest, ecology and environment) in this regard.
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday issued notices to BJP MLA, who is also the Deputy Speaker in the state Assembly, and forest department on public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that the legislator has illegally constructed a residential complex by encroaching land deep inside the reserved forest in central Gujarat for himself and through the trust he runs as its chairman