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"New Delhi: More than 1,000,000 families of forest dwelling Adivasis will have to leave their habitat, following a Supreme Court order.
They will have to leave forestlands across 16 state as the government failed to defend the law protecting their rights.
Country-wide numbers of evictees could rise further, with more states complying with the order.
It all began with wildlife groups questioning the validity of Forest Rights Act.
“The petitioners had also demanded that all those whose claims over traditional forestlands are rejected under the law should be evicted by state governments as a consequence.” says a report in The Wire.
The government failed to present its lawyers to defend the law on February, leading to the court order.
The Supreme Court order gives states time till July 27 to evict all tribals.