The ‘principles of justice’ very well follow free thinking and problem solving and involve the pre-eminence of fairness and uniformity in society. The tribes, at the recent parameter of development, have lost their lands and livelihood due to rapid, irregular development projects with no outcome and massive displacement without proper and adequate rehabilitation and resettlement process. The Pathalgadi movement is introduced as illegal, anti-national, and Maoist-driven by the state administration led by the depressed tribals on tenacious land alienation as a democratic affirmation for realizing their rights as government negligence towards a balanced form of developmental perspectives. The paper analyzes the issues leading to tribals’ discontent and their struggle for democratic and self-governance based on constitutional provisions.

Highlights

• The study focuses on tribal land grabbing because of irregular development plans and tribals’ discontent.
• The discontent of tribals on the mis-management of equitable policy for the self-management of resources, protecting their forests, and securing their identity and ethnicity in scheduled areas has become the reason for the origin and rise of the Pathalgadi Movement.
• The proper implementation of PESA and empowering the gram sabha as a sovereign power is the need of the hour to prevent land alienation and preserve the forest products.
• Rawls’ Concept of Justice emphasizes ‘balance-distributive principles’ to maintain equity in the basic structure of the society.