The Supreme Court on Wednesday imposed a ban on tiger safari at Uttarakhand's Jim Corbett National Park.
As per the order, the tiger safari would now be allowed only in the peripheral and buffer zones of the Jim Corbett National Park.
Besides imposing a ban on tiger safari, the apex court today also slammed former Uttarakhand Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat and then divisional forest officer Kishan Chand for illegal construction and felling of trees at the Corbett Tiger Reserve.
What all did the Supreme Court say?
A bench headed by Justice B R Gavai said on Wednesday that this was a case where bureaucrats and politicians had thrown public trust doctrine in the waste bin.
Slamming the former forest minister and then divisional forest officer, the bench said, "They (Rawat and Chand) have in blatant disregard of the law and for commercial purposes indulged in mass felling of trees to construct buildings in the pretext of promotion of tourism."
While pronouncing its judgment, the top court said it was clear that the national wildlife conservation plan recognised the need for wildlife conservation beyond the protected areas.
The apex court sought a status report from the CBI within three months and it also formed a committee to look into whether tiger safaris can be permitted in buffer or fringe areas of national parks in the country.
The Enforcement Directorate had earlier raided the residences of Rawat and Chand in connection with illegal construction in the tiger reserve.
