State’s duty is to protect animals, and to protect citizens from those animals: Bombay High Court

Kolhapur bench of the Bombay High Court directed the government to provide safe transport for the school children, ambulance for the citizens in the buffer zone of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

5 min readKolhapur/puneApr 3, 2026 04:00 PM IST

The state forest department premises in Chandoli, Maharashtra (Express photo)

The state forest department premises at Chandoli, Maharashtra (Express photo)

The Kolhapur bench of the Bombay High Court (HC) has given ad-interim directions to the Maharashtra Forest Department and the government administration to provide safe transport for school children and an ambulance for people residing in the buffer zone of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) to thwart casualties due to man-animal conflicts.

Justice Madhav Jamadar and Pravin Patil passed the order on Thursday while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by Harish Kamble of the Ukhalu village in Kolhapur district.

The HC order stated that under Section 38 V of the Wildlife Protection Act and Article 21 of the Constitution of India, “the State has a twin obligation: to protect the animals, and to protect the citizens from those animals.”

Education of about 500 students in at least five schools in the region has been affected, causing violation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009, due to the frequent sighting of tigers and leopards, even on the main approach roads during school hours, the PIL highlighted.

Children from Dhangarwada in Ukhalu in Shahuwadi taluka in Kolhapur;

Children from Dhangarwada in Ukhalu in Kolhapur. (Express Photo)

The PIL stated that human casualties in wildlife attacks in various villages in the buffer zone of Chandoli National Park (CNP) in STR and nearby areas in the last few years.

The PIL claimed that over a thousand acres of fertile agricultural land in these villages are lying uncultivated as farmers are afraid of entering their farms due to a constant threat from wild animals, thus causing a violation of their Right to Livelihood.

Safety measures sought

The PIL demanded safety measures such as immediate installation of solar fencing/protection walls around the villages, advanced life support ambulances, safe school transport facilities for students, “livelihood loss compensation” for farmers unable to cultivate their fertile lands, fitting radio collars on all leopards and establish a “real time SMS/WhatsApp alert mechanism” to warm the villagers about their movements.

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Kamble’s lawyer, Raviraj Birje, submitted news reports from March 2026 showing recent incidents of human wildlife conflict in the buffer zone in Chandoli National Park in STR and nearby areas.

Birje also submitted a letter from the headmaster of Hutatma NanakSingh Secondary and Higher Secondary School (Sonwade), Sangli, who has highlighted the concern of the school students who are facing “several difficulties in view of human-wildlife conflict.”

The HC also found it important to interfere in this matter “considering the factual position and to protect the citizens and school going children”.

The HC then gave ad-interim direction to the district collector and the forest department “to identify dangerous schools prone to wild attacks” within seven days and jointly “deploy safe transport for the school children, escorted by a dedicated Rapid Response Team (RRT).”

RRT at attack-prone schools

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The HC directed that the RRT must be permanently stationed near the identified attack-prone schools strictly between 6 am and 6 pm every day. “Securing the approach to schools is an absolute statutory mandate under Rule 6 of the RTE Rules. Children cannot be left to navigate an active hunting ground,” the HC stated.

Further, the HC gave an ad-interim direction to permanently station one Advanced Life Support (ALS) Ambulance at the Shittur-Warun primary centre” with urgency.

The court also ordered the state government and forest department to file their “affidavit-in-reply” within two weeks and posted the matter for hearing on April 21.

Spanning a total of 1,165.57 square kilometers across the districts of Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Ratnagiri, the STR was officially notified on January 5, 2010. It comprises a strictly protected core zone of 600.12 sq km and a surrounding buffer zone of 565.45 sq km, where human settlements and agriculture coexist with wildlife.

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The STR encompasses Chandoli National Park and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, both part of the Unesco World Heritage Sites.

After the STR was notified, a tiger was first spotted here in January 2011, but in 2020, this tiger was seen in the Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka. Between 2023 and 2024, three male tigers were spotted in the STR and were named as Senapati, Subedar and Baji, by forest officers.

To increase the tiger population, three tigresses—Chanda, Tara, and Hirkani— were released into STR under the Tiger Augmentation and Range Expansion (TARA), between November 2025 and February 2026. Also, last month, a male tiger was spotted in Chandoli National Park, and forest officials named him ‘Shiledar’.

Forest officials say that with four tigers and three tigresses, there is a surge in wildlife tourism in STR.

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But due to frequent encounters between humans and wild animals — tigers, leopards, and bison — people from Ukhalu, Udagiri, Ninai Parale, Amba, Mandur, and Shittur Warun villages from Sangli and Kolhapur, in the buffer zone of Chandoli National Park in STR and nearby areas, are protesting against the forest department, demanding measures to protect their life and property from wildlife.

When The Indian Express visited these villages last month, people said that in the last five years, many farmers in the region have stopped cultivating sugarcane, fearing attacks from wild animals. Children at Dhangarwada in Ukhalu said that due to a lack of public transport, they go to school in milk transport vehicles that are not available all day. A bedridden villager from Mandur described how he was unable to work after being injured in a bison attack.

Chandan Haygunde

Chandan Haygunde is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With over 20 years of experience in journalism, he is one of the region's most authoritative voices on crime, national security, and legal affairs. Professional Profile Specialization: He specialises covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the ‘Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation’ in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He is at the helm of the widely read weekly series “Pune Crime Files”. He is widely recognized for his deep-dive coverage of the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and the Elgaar Parishad investigation. Key Beats: His portfolio includes covering crimes mainly under the jurisdiction of Pune City, Pune rural and Pimpri Chinchwad Police, along with the sensitive cases from the state, being investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Background: Before his long tenure at The Indian Express, he worked with other Marathi and English publications, giving him a unique grassroots understanding of Maharashtra's socio-political landscape. Awards and Recognition: He got the CMS PANOS Young Environment Journalist Award in January 2014 for investigative reports on illegal activities in Sahyadri Tiger Rerserve. He received the award for outstanding investigative journalism by the Lokmat group in Pune in January 2020, “Missing since 2010, Pune youth a ‘Maoist Commander’ in Chhattisgarh”, which appeared on July 9, 2019. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) In recent months, Chandan’s reporting has focused on high-profile terror case investigations, inter-state firearms racket, leopard movements in Pune city, cyber scams and hearings of the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry. 1. High-Profile crimes and terrorism cases “Techie linked to Al-Qaeda preached democracy is against Shariat” (Nov 17, 2025). Reporting on the ongoing investigation into the arrest of IT professional Zubair Hangargekar (37) from Pune for alleged terror links. “The case against Jyoti Jagtap, member of ‘Maoist front’ Kabir Kala Manch and Elgaar Parishad organiser, granted interim bail by apex court” (Nov 20, 2025) Tracking the updates in the high profile Elgaar Parishad case related to the alleged naxal activities in urban areas. “How NIA arrested doctor turned ‘ISIS recruiter’ in Maharashtra terror module case” (Nov 24, 2025) After the arrest of doctors in Delhi Red Fort blast, a report on alleged terror links of a consulting anaesthetist from a Pune hospital. “A year after loco pilot averts tragedy by spotting gas cylinder on railway track, probe still inconclusive” (Dec 8, 2025). Report on the unsolved case of a suspected sabotage incident, which could have derailed a train. “No records of Sambhaji Maharaj’s cremation available: Author, ex-IAS officer Vishwas Patil tells Koregaon Bhima panel” (Dec 1, 2025) Reporting on a sensitive issue related to the Koregaon Bhima violence. 2. Inter-state firearms racket "Pune police swoop down on ‘village of pistols’ in Madhya Pradesh; 36 detained, 50 kilns destroyed" (Nov 22, 2025) "Recce a week before, microplanning: how Pune police raided ‘village of pistols’ in MP" (Nov 24, 2025) Reporting on the illegal gun manufacturing units in Umarti village, Madhya Pradesh 3. Cybercrime & Financial Scams “Pimpri Chinchwad police arrest ‘bank account supplier’ with links to China, nationwide cyber scams" (Nov 27, 2025) An investigative look at the modus opernadi of international cyber-gangs cheating high-earning professionals across the country ‘Your case linked to Pahalgam terrorist’: Pune businessman loses Rs 1.44 crore to fraudster posing as NIA chief" (Oct 18, 2025) Report on the tricks played on cyber scammers cheating people through digital arrest frauds Signature Style: The Investigative Hit Chandan is known for his ability to cultivate deep-cover sources within the police and intelligence agencies. His writing often goes beyond the "police version" of events, providing historical context and identifying systemic lapses. He is particularly respected for his balanced reporting on sensitive communal issues and his persistent tracking of the Maoist urban-link cases, making his columns essential reading for legal experts and policymakers. X (Twitter): @chandan_pune ... Read More

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