Delhi HC Expresses Concern About People's Safety During Proposed 'Walkathon' Inside Asola Bhati Wildlife Sanctuary

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday expressed concern about the safety of the people during a “Walkathon” event proposed to be held inside the city's Asola Bhati Wildlife Sanctuary amid the presence of leopards there.

Justice Jasmeet Singh asked the city forest department as to how it could expose people to such a risk by organizing the event inside the wildlife sanctuary when the department is not aware of the whereabouts of the leopards.

“How do you expose people to that? You don't know about their [leopards'] whereabouts. You are hoping that they are shy animals. You are hoping that this [sanctuary] is not an area where they will come. This kind of an adventure cannot be,” Justice Singh orally told the forest department's counsel.

The counsel appearing for the forest department submitted that the Walkathon is being organized on the existing tracks and took the court through the proposal of the event, including the number of people allowed to participate.

On the asking of the court, the counsel submitted that there are around 8 to 9 leopards in the wildlife sanctuary. However, the counsel said that there is no specific data on the same as their presence is tracked through CCTV cameras.

Hearing this, the court remarked: “God forbid one person is hurt, one stray [leopard] out of these 8 to 9 come into this group of 20 people. There may be kids. Parents may take their five-year-old or seven-year-old. How do we permit this? This may be a good initiative but the risk….”

Amici Curiae Advocates Gautam Narayan and Aditya N Prasad then referred to recent news reports stating that a leopard had been escaped and was spotted in the Sainik Farms area.

Narayan told court that the wildlife sanctuary houses various wild animals like hyena and other snakes like pythons. He said that the people participating in the event will be entering the protected zone where the flora and fauna are flourishing in the sanctuary.

After hearing the submissions of both sides, the court reserved its judgment in a plea concerning the issue of conservation of the Southern Ridge and removal of encroachments from there.

“Arguments heard. Judgment reserved,” the court said.

Earlier, the court had asked the forest department to show as to how the decision was taken to organise the event in question inside the sanctuary, observing it was not Masai Mara or Serengeti.

The forest department's counsel had then assured the court that the decision was taken at the highest level and that the event was aimed at introducing and creating awareness amongst people about the flora and fauna present in the sanctuary.

Title: Divender v. LG of Delhi