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Karnataka High Court halts on-ground work for Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project
Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty said the petition was premature, as the matter is with the National Wildlife Board, which would consider all aspects, and that no approval has been granted to the project so far.
Sherry said that the question of carrying out any work does not arise until the authorities grant permission. (File image)
The Karnataka High Court Tuesday directed that no work or activities related to the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project (Sharavathi PSP) and Kalkatte Bridge construction be carried out in the forest without the court’s permission.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Poonacha passed the interim order while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Akhilesh Chipli, Ravindranath Shanbhogue, and Manohar Kumar CB. “No activities should be undertaken on the ground in furtherance of the project without further orders,” said the bench.
Appearing for the Karnataka Government, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty said the petition was premature, as the matter is with the National Wildlife Board, which would consider all aspects, and that no approval has been granted to the project so far. Sherry said that the question of carrying out any work does not arise until the authorities grant permission.
However, the bench said orally, “Even if they give you permission, no preliminary work till we hear the petition. You can do whatever, but not on the ground, just don’t damage it.”
Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinnappa, representing the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited, which would execute the project, contended that there is no impediment in Section 29 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in carrying out non-forest activities in a sanctuary.
Additional Solicitor General Aravind Kamath, for the Union of India, submitted that there are serious concerns regarding the said project, which are being examined.
Following which, the bench in its order said, “Prima facie, considering that the Sharavathi valley sanctuary has been so declared inter alia for preservation of lion-tailed macaques, the disruption of habitat of such species, which is already endangered, would prima facie mitigate one of the principal purposes of declaring the said sanctuary. This question needs examination, and the issues raised in the petition require examination.”
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“This is a serious concern, and it will require some convincing that every other process has been taken care of.”
In the PIL, the petitioners prayed for quashing the decision dated January 28, 2025, taken during the 19th meeting of the Karnataka State Wildlife Board when the project was approved. It also prayed to quash the in-principle recommendation granted in the 84th meeting of the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife held on June 26, 2025.
The plea also asked to declare that all the activities in any sanctuary that run contrary to the embargo laid out in Section 29 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, are prohibited.
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