Indian Forest Act (IFA), 1927 is an Act to consolidate the law relating to forests, the transit of forest-produce and the duty leviable on timber and other forest-produce. As per Section 3 of the Act, the State Government may constitute any forest-land or waste-land which is the property of Government, or over which the Government has proprietary rights, or to the whole or any part of the forest-produce of which the Government is entitled, a Reserved Forest and can issue notification in Official Gazette as per the provisions of Section 4. As per Section 6 of the Act, when a notification has been issued under section 4, the Forest Settlement Officer (FSO) shall publish in the local vernacular in every town and village in the neighbourhood of the land comprised therein, a proclamation. After settling disputes or claims over the notified land by FSO, as per Section 20, the State Government shall publish a notification in the Official Gazette, specifying definitely, according to boundary-marks erected or otherwise, the limits of the forest which is to be reserved, and declaring the same to be reserved from a date fixed by the notification. The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare any forest land or waste land which is not included in a Reserved Forest but which is the property of Government, or over which the Government has proprietary rights, or to the whole or any part of the forest produce of which the Government is entitled as protected forest.
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