Coming down heavily on Uttarakhand’s former forest minister Harak Singh Rawat in connection with a Corbett Tiger Reserve, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that the ‘public trust doctrine’ has been thrown away. In a sharp rebuke to the officials of 2021 state government, the apex court said that they have destroyed the reserve by allowing illegal construction and incessant felling of trees. The top court has also appointed Ex-Director General of Forests & Special Secretary Chander Prakash Goyal, Sumit Sinha to come up with a better tiger reserve management.
As part of the crucial verdict, the top court banned tiger safaris in the core areas of the Jim Corbett National Park. However, the court has allowed the safaris in the buffer zone of the tiger reserve. The SC judgment came in a case seeking permissions for the Pakhro Tiger Safari project at the Jim Corbett National Park.
The Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice BR Gavai said it was ‘amazed at the audacity’ of ex-forest minister in totally demolishing the statutory provisions that safeguarded the tiger reserve.
The Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), renowned for its Royal Bengal Tigers, shuts its doors to tourists during the monsoon season and reopens in October-November. Spanning an area of 1,288.31 square kilometers, it is celebrated for its rich biodiversity, boasting the world’s highest density of tigers.
In 2021, Rawat served as the forest minister in the BJP government of Uttarakhand. However, he was expelled by the party before the 2022 state Assembly elections. Subsequently, Rawat joined the Congress party.
