India, Sept. 2 -- The All India Kisan Sabha has alleged that attempts to evict forest dwellers from 5,072.653 hectares in the Meghamalai-Varusanadu area of Tamil Nadu are illegal.

AIKS says the area, part of the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve in Theni district, is home to about 25,000 people across nine village panchayats.

The organisation says many affected residents are Adivasis, Dalits and members of Most Backward Classes who meet the Forest Rights Act's definition of traditional forest dwellers.

AIKS has demanded that the Tamil Nadu government implement the Forest Rights Act in the region and urged the Supreme Court to uphold the law "in its true spirit".

Farmers' group All India Kisan Sabha has alleged that ongoing attempts to e...