The Supreme Court on Wednesday given the permission to the Jharkhand Government to notify 31468.25 hectares of the Saranda forest as a wildlife sanctuary, while instructing that Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and legally valid mining leases be kept out of the sanctuary’s influence zone. The bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran also asked the State to file a sworn affidavit in court within a week setting out the boundaries and related steps.
Government’s Position and the WII Map
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the State, said to the court that the Government had sought inputs from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to assess how sanctuary notification would affect mining and local communities. The State also said that the WII had indicated that a full study would take considerable time and resources, subsequently the institute supplied maps and observations that entered the official file at DFO and PCCF levels. The matter is rooted in earlier directions from the National Green Tribunal and earlier court orders that sought protective steps for Saranda’s ecology.
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SC Directed to Mark the Area on SAIL’s Plea
SAIL intervened in the hearing, arguing that Saranda supplies a substantial portion of ore used in its plants and that any broad restriction could hit steel production targets and supplies for national projects. The bench took note of the company’s submissions but made clear that sanctuary notification would proceed with practical safeguards, the court directed that the declared area be marked so that working mines and valid leases are not impeded by the one kilometer restrictions that normally apply around protected zones.
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Amicus Curiae, Next Steps and Wider Implications
Amicus Curiae objected to reopening ground mapping, saying the State’s own affidavit already acknowledged the marked area and that further delays were unnecessary. The court rejected the plea for further time and directed the State to finalise and file the necessary affidavit within a week. The order attempts a narrow path between urgent conservation of one of Asia’s largest Saal forests and the economic importance of established mining operations, the coming affidavit will determine precisely how that balance is implemented on the ground.
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