The Supreme Court has reaffirmed that mining will not be allowed inside national parks, wildlife sanctuaries or within one kilometre of their boundaries, issuing a strong directive to all states while ordering the notification of a major protected area in Jharkhand’s Saranda forest.

A bench of the Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran delivered the directions while hearing matters related to forest conservation and mining impacts in the ecologically sensitive Saranda region. The judges reiterated their earlier order from April 2023, making it clear that mining activities within one kilometre of the boundary of any protected area must be prohibited on a pan-India basis.

Order to Notify Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary Within Three Months

The bench directed the Jharkhand government to declare 126 compartments in Saranda forest—an area originally notified for protection in a 1968 order—as a wildlife sanctuary within three months. Six compartments may be excluded as permitted by the court, but the remaining area must receive protection without further delay.

The court observed that the state had repeatedly shifted its stance and found no justification for withholding sanctuary status from the entire area covered under the old notification. It allowed the exclusion of six compartments only as an accommodation, stressing that the rest must be notified promptly.

A Biodiversity-Rich Landscape Needing Urgent Protection

The judgment highlights the ecological significance of Saranda, calling it one of the world’s most pristine Sal forests and an important biodiversity hotspot. The forest forms a contiguous wildlife corridor connecting landscapes across Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

The region supports a wide range of wildlife, including the critically endangered and endemic Sal Forest Tortoise, four-horned antelope, Asian palm civet, wild elephants, leopards, sambar and chital deer, bison, barking deer, and several species of birds and reptiles.

The bench held that mining in or near such a habitat would pose major risks to wildlife. It emphasised that the ecological integrity of protected areas cannot be compromised for extractive activities.

Court Upholds Rights of Tribals and Forest Dwellers

The judgment also directly addresses concerns regarding the rights of tribal and traditional forest-dwelling communities living in the proposed sanctuary area. The court ordered the Jharkhand government to give wide publicity to the fact that these rights will remain protected under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA).

The bench cited Section 3 read with Section 4(1) of the FRA to underline that both individual and community rights of forest dwellers will continue unaffected by the sanctuary declaration.

The judges rejected the view—described as a “bogey”—that creating a wildlife sanctuary would displace communities or result in demolition of public infrastructure such as schools and roads. The court held that such fears were unfounded and stemmed from misconceptions, not legal reality.

It added that the state should have proactively informed forest residents about their statutory rights under the FRA and the Wildlife Protection Act instead of allowing misinformation to spread.

Mining Ban to Be Enforced Nationwide

The bench reiterated its earlier decision in the Goa Foundation case, extending the prohibition on mining near protected areas beyond Goa to all states.

The court noted that mining within one kilometre of protected area boundaries is “hazardous for wildlife” and incompatible with conservation needs. States therefore have no authority to permit such activities, and any existing permissions contradicting this directive must be invalidated.

A Strong Message on Conservation Governance

The ruling sends a clear message to state governments to prioritise ecological protection, uphold the rights of forest communities, and eliminate regulatory ambiguities around mining in sensitive regions.

By reaffirming a nationwide buffer-zone restriction and directing the immediate notification of Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary, the court has underscored the importance of safeguarding India’s forest landscapes from extractive pressures.