Section 26. Prohibition of further contracts

26. After the issue of a notification under Section 17, the landlord of the forest or the area specified in such notification shall not enter into any contract with any person conferring on such person the right to cut, collect or remove timber or other forest produce or trees in or from such area and any such contract entered into after the issue of the said notification under Section 17, shall be void : Provided that this restriction shall, without prejudice to the other provisions of the Act, cease, if the proposal to constitute the area concerned a vested forest is dropped or the area is eventually constituted a vested forest.