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Supreme Court News: The Supreme Court, while postponing the hearing on the petition of hotel and resort owners of Nilgiris, said that it is necessary to remove the construction in the elephant corridor, the next hearing will be in January. On September 12, the Madras High Court had approved the recommendation of a committee appointed by the Supreme Court, which had said that the land purchased by private people in the elephant corridors of Sigur Plateau is illegal and these constructions should be removed.
New Delhi. The Supreme Court has said that the courts will always be on the side of animals because animals suffer silently when humans and commercial activities block their path. The bench of Chief Justice (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi postponed the hearing on the petitions of hotel and resort owners of Nilgiris and said that it is necessary to discuss the issue in detail.
The bench said, ‘You all are here for business and your constructions are coming in the way of elephants. These constructions obstruct the movement of elephants… The benefit should go to the animals who suffer losses from these commercial activities. After the Tamil Nadu government issued notification of elephant corridors in the Sigur Plateau of the Nilgiris, hotel and resort owners built in the forest have been asked to vacate these places, causing resentment among them.
On September 12, the Madras High Court had approved the recommendation of a committee appointed by the Supreme Court, which had said that the land purchased by private people in the elephant corridors of Sigur Plateau is illegal and these constructions should be removed. Earlier, the Supreme Court was told that there are more than 800 structures including 39 resorts and 390 houses inside the elephant corridor in Sigur.
Senior advocates Salman Khurshid and Shoaib Alam, appearing for different parties, said that these hotel and resort owners had purchased properties even before the elephant corridor notification was issued and they should be allowed to continue their ‘eco-friendly’ business on the condition that they will not expand their business. Alam said that some cases are coming up for hearing in January and it would be better if the court hears them all together. The Supreme Court has fixed the next hearing of the case for the first week of January.
