The Supreme Court has directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and other authorities not to proceed with the relocation of deer from the Hauz Khas Deer Park in the capital until further notice.
A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan passed the interim order on April 30, issuing notice to the DDA’s horticulture director and other concerned officials. The court has sought their response to a petition filed by the New Delhi Nature Society, which has raised serious concerns over the ongoing transfer of deer from the park.
“The issue involved in these Special Leave Petitions is as regards shifting of deer in the Deer Park at Hauz Khas, New Delhi. Issue notice, returnable on May 16, 2025. For the time being, we restrain the respondents from shifting the existing deer out of the Deer Park,” the bench stated.
The order also emphasized that the deer currently housed in the park must be “properly looked after” by the authorities during the pendency of the matter.
The petition, filed by the NGO, alleged that approximately 600 deer are being moved to sanctuaries in other states such as Rajasthan without appropriate ecological assessments, veterinary evaluations, or safeguards for vulnerable animals including pregnant deer and fawns. It further claimed that three groups of deer had already been transferred in haste, in violation of wildlife protection norms.
