The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a decision by the Uttarakhand government's forest department to allow a private company to ply its buses within the core area of Corbett Tiger Reserve.
The court also issued notice to the state government on PIL challenging validity of the order issued on Dec. 23, 2020.
A bench presided over by Chief Justice S A Bobde and comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian sought a response from the state government on plea by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal.
The petitioner contended that the Wildlife Protection Act was being violated by the state for "wrongful gains" with its decision.
"The plying of buses and that too of a private sector company within the core area of Corbett Tiger Reserve is nothing but an act of compromise with the protection and conservation of our national animal," his plea stated.
Bansal also cited an RTI response by the National Tiger Conservation Authority that forest officials of Uttarakhand have not taken its permission as provided under Section 38 (O) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 for plying of buses by the private company.
Published 18 February 2021, 10:09 IST
