The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the Jharkhand government’s failure to comply with its earlier directions to notify the Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary (SWL) and Sasangdaburu Conservation Reserve (SCR) as conservation reserves, and directed the state’s chief secretary to personally appear before it on October 8.
A bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran warned the state against deliberate delays, remarking that non-compliance amounted to contempt of its April 29 order. “The Jharkhand government is in clear contempt of our order dated April 29, 2025… we therefore direct the chief secretary of Jharkhand to remain present in this court at 10.30 am on October 8 and show cause as to why contempt proceedings be not initiated,” the bench observed.
Under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, state governments are empowered to declare areas adjacent to sanctuaries, national parks, and ecological corridors as conservation reserves after consulting local communities. The objective is to preserve landscapes, seascapes, flora, fauna, and their habitats.
The bench noted with criticism that instead of implementing the court’s orders, the state constituted a committee on May 13 to “further deliberate” on the matter. “The other day, the president (Droupadi Murmu) was telling me that Jharkhand has very good jails,” the CJI quipped, cautioning that errant officials could face up to six months’ imprisonment for contempt.
The matter arises from the Jharkhand government’s repeated delays despite recommendations by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and a proposal submitted by the state’s principal chief conservator of forests as early as November 29, 2024. The Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change had returned the proposal in March 2025 for further comments, effectively stalling the notification process.
The state government informed the court that it has since expanded the proposed sanctuary from 31,468 hectares to 57,519 hectares, while also earmarking an additional 13,603 hectares for the Sasangdaburu Conservation Reserve. The proposal has been sent to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, for expert opinion.
The bench directed WII to provide feedback within one month and ordered the state to complete the remaining steps—including approval by the State Wildlife Board, clearance by the state Cabinet, and issuance of the final notification—within two months thereafter.
