Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: The Goa Government has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLC) in the Supreme Court of India challenging the order of High Court of Bombay at Goa directing the state to declare the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding areas as a tiger reserve within three months.
The Government of Goa haD appointed senior counsel and former Advocate General Mukul Rohatgi to challenge the Bombay High Court in Goa order to declare the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding areas as a tiger reserve within three months.
An order issued by the law department said that Rohatgi, will represent the state “to challenge the judgment” and “to defend the interest of the state of Goa”.
The HC had directed the state government to notify the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and other areas as a tiger reserve under Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 within three months and pulled up the government for continuing “to steadfastly avoid notifying the tiger reserve”.
The Bombay High Court in Goa was approached in 2020 by the NGO Goa Foundation following death of four tigers including two curbs.
The NGO petitioned the court to order the state to implement the NTCA’s directive to establish a tiger reserve in Goa.
According to the Indian Forest Act of 1927, the state government must appoint a forest settlement officer (FSO) to investigate the land rights of persons living inside the planned reserve forest’s defined borders as soon as the notification under Section 4 is issued.
