The Supreme Court on Monday tasked the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) with examining the proposal to notify Goa’s Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining areas as a tiger reserve and submitting a report within six weeks.

A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai, Justice K. Vinod Chandran, and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar further directed Goa to maintain status quo over the areas which the Bombay High Court had ordered to be notified as a tiger reserve until the next hearing.

“We find it appropriate that the Central Empowered Committee examines the issue and submits a report before this Court….In the meantime, the petitioner-State is directed to maintain status quo in respect of the areas directed to be notified as tiger reserve by the High Court,” the Court stated.

The order came in the State’s appeal against the Bombay High Court’s July 24, 2023 judgment mandating Goa to notify the sanctuary and adjacent regions as a tiger reserve within three months. Environmental group Goa Foundation had challenged clearances granted for commercial projects despite the pending notification.

Goa argued that the High Court’s order would require creation of buffer zones covering nearly 20% of the State’s territory, impacting local residents. The petition before the High Court was filed by Goa Foundation, relying on repeated recommendations of the National Tiger Conservation Authority citing a resident tiger population.

The Supreme Court has directed the CEC to hear all stakeholders, including the State and Goa Foundation, before filing its report. Parties may file responses within two weeks thereafter. The matter is listed for November 12, 2025.

The High Court had rejected Goa’s contention that the absence of final sanctuary notification and unsettled rights of forest dwellers justified delay, stressing that the State could not benefit from its own lapses. It observed that settlement of forest dwellers’ rights had been pending for decades across Goa’s sanctuaries.

Clarifying that a final notification under Section 26-A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was not mandatory for a tiger reserve declaration, the High Court directed the government to settle forest rights within 12 months, set up anti-poaching camps in six months, curb encroachments, and frame a comprehensive tiger conservation plan.

It emphasised the ecological importance of tigers as apex predators in maintaining balance, protecting natural resources, and preserving ecosystem services such as water and soil conservation.

Case No. – SLP(C) No. 20683/2023
Case Title – State of Goa Through Chief Secretary & Ors. v. The Goa Foundation & Ors.