Archive · 30 Jul 2026
HMT Secures Court Stay on 430‑Acre Bengaluru Forest Land
HMT, a public‑sector company, owns a big piece of forest land in Bengaluru.
The state tried to take it back, saying HMT didn’t have the right to keep it.
The Karnataka High Court said the state can’t evict HMT right now and told HMT not to cut trees.
HMT says it will not sell or lease the land.
The fight has made the central and state governments argue loudly, with each side saying the other is wrong about the land’s use.
HMT Limited secured a stay from the Karnataka High Court preventing eviction of its 430‑acre forest land in North Bengaluru.
The court directed the Forest Department not to dispossess HMT and barred the company from felling trees on the property.
The stay follows a June 15 eviction order that claimed HMT lacked lawful authority over the land, valued at roughly Rs 15,000 crore.
HMT argues only unsold portions are covered; 178 acres have already been transferred to government and private entities.
The dispute has sparked a political spat between the central NDA government and Karnataka Congress, with accusations of illegal land conversion.
- Who
- Hindustan Machine Tools Limited and Karnataka High Court
- What
- Court stay on eviction of 430‑acre forest land in North Bengaluru
- When
- Wednesday (date of court order)
- Where
- Peenya‑Jalahalli plantation, North Bengaluru
- Why
- HMT challenged the eviction order claiming lack of lawful authority over the land
- Land area
- 430 acres
- Land value
- Rs 15,000 crore
- Court
- Karnataka High Court
- Eviction order date
- June 15
- State government
- Karnataka
- Central government
- NDA