High Court Karnataka High Court

Sanghamitra Foundation (Regd) vs Union Of India on 17 February, 2009

Karnataka High Court
Sanghamitra Foundation (Regd) vs Union Of India on 17 February, 2009
Author: Ashok B.Hinchigeri
 

FOREST ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
VIBHANA SQUDHA, BANGALORE 1.

4 THE PRINCIPAL CHIEF CONSERVATQR

OF FQRESTS:
G€)VER¥\iMENT OF KARNATAKA,

FQREST DEPARTMENT,   .

ARANYA BHAVAN, MALLes§m§ieaM,  . X I
EANGALQRE -- 550 093.  e   " 
 .  VRESWNDENTS

(av SR1 AaA\I:m§ ':CATE'~~FQR R-3 AND 4)

'ms wan ?.?ET;'£T1Qbi'- 15; :_FILE£3~.U'NDER; ARTICLES 225 AND
227 09 THE C§{)f»¥$3TT£ff!'I'C!i§3...__G~FV I'NE3_1iA_ PRAYING TO DECLARE
THE ACTION O:'?V.T}{-_!E:*_ REEZPONDEWTS IN WITHDRAWING ma IN
PR1NCIPLE.evAPPRAC;NAL1{SEVEN-UNDER..S'EC'fIGN 2 OF THE FGREST
ccmseevzxnou  1-esees PER ANNE)-LB. an 6.12.2005 AS
ILLEGAL, vow AhID'L¥?~J.ENEGRCEABLE AND arc.

THIS   {EN FOR DICTATION, THIS

DAY COL3RT_MA[§EV.,TH'E"' Fozmwme:

9_B_D__E_E

   raised in this petition is is the first

n'VVII'reepond4ent.'.'_s:;'Reefer, dated 5"' December, 2695 withdrawmg the

III"T:74.i'e{j5rin;§eie'=--«epprova! given under Sectien 2 cf the Ferest

 fieeeereefien Act, 1983. The petitioner has eiee seught the

 ':tfr'u'e»ne:amus to the respondents to approve the diversion of the

fiheeeie lend fer the pureese ef carvfine the statue of Esuddhe.

4′

resaendents, That there is nething tike Ramanagara%ii”P;6;*%§s;

his further submissian’

.9. Sri Ravi Verma Kama: aise briingsitel%fij;T.fi0tité3’ti§1at

this case, the responéents 2 ts at’? hgva ‘£3?

objections, three additienal statelv2Pi_fi’eV’4rt§ts..V_v_01f””ui§;j§%:ti§fns, one
memerandum cf facts and ‘eefifiitg deitégflaii these,
the respcmdents 2 tea .4-_ are their act of
canine upon the in-principle
appmval. He” is bad canmzzt be
made geed In support cf his
submissions, has judgment cf the Hembtg
Supreme $;;¢uLrt ca:¥£:e ef Mohinder Singh Gil! nd

a:1f2g;§i!::iaezf: Fa4.*, Eifiéion Cammissimmr and athers,

SC 851. The reievant pertmn ef the

TV “,. §ai;! ju::§gment’i$ -fiéttracted hereinbeiaw:

_ .. I ‘f’3§ ‘fléé semrzd equaliy relevant matter is that when a

. “= .5ta_:z}t§;:y functionaiy makes an aide: based on cettain

* § ;f9LiI§dS, ffi va!id:’ty must be judged by the mamas so
” -uméntfoned and Cannes: be suppkmanted by frag’; reastms
in the shape of afifdavit or otherwise: Otherwise, an
order had in the beginning :72 , by the time it mines £0

ii

petitign, He further submits that the guiding factor ___whiIe

granting or withdrawing the inwprincipie app_rév:alv?V’_T.’§s;L” Rthé

censematmn of ferests. The pe:!tions§§*bAmh§ s’ n’c:,~_T

right 1:12 demand the final apprevai as a rfiaziér cf c§u.%rs’e. ” V

14. Sr: Prabhakar has alse r-a_a;d..V_eut the rg§év:aht””;s€sst§ens*

of the statement at’ Qbgectigns, “L_:add.&:_§or.{al’ statémerst at
ebjections, amdavit and the He submits
that there was ;;>L:h}ivc4.hA’:.:~.\v_.=.:_ the natural
menmith to the ::v:«e§’§:i__r.§¥Q..:.~}’?7’_V$”r,$!fgj£_éz:;f *-.”j’§ivg’§é§i’édu£e and is a part
of the notified- at aamanagaram
Range -sf B$nga;!;’e:’£-V3 which previdgsbelter :9 the
different speciéégf The monolithic structure has

hVer.i1;ageV_:e’§§§§;n::;§’ar;d tVh”a-t ittygrefere the same cannot be disturbed,
§;S_. ” Sr”: :”Pfat)_hakar brings :9 my mtice the {Directive

P:*i:’:AcL§’p.V!_<a-'___;::cA1'" v$t§_té'.'V;'v!5o!icy cantained §n Articie 48A ef the

V".; (f9nst!tut'§':3§ €3f'E£;fiii2a, which statm that the state she?! endeavor

.a':*:§ imprave the environment and safeguard the

wiid fife cf the ceuntry. Themfere the State

1VTG§varrs}nent is empewered as well as ebiiged to ensure the

33%.

in a matter fa respect of, in our opinion, wbézrh §£«~~!2.a;.=.

came to the cenclusion that no renewal shozffd ‘*7

granted;

20; In that View of the matterA a§2{i~ t_’b’e SE34??? as
the Act in cur opinion, the ;’esp:}:1 ciz:2g2_$ were night .an:{ V3193.
appellanzs were wrong’ All inte:’p!*e£§TiVf9§as mustiseibsegve
and he-ft? implementatims’_t!2e_.’i!§fe:’2L:§;-IQ’fifths Att; “This
intetpretation, in our “ag§;2it::g,.}–.’:i.w§}£ sgzéxrve the
predominantpumose of tl2e«A_c££’–._ ”

1?. Next!y§.h;锑v!3_rriQ:g.ht i:_§::._ m.y,z 1f1i.’§;§#§V ihé Herrble Supreme
Ceurts decis_icm_ 1:. union 91’ India
and others} }Tgx amu4 sc 4e15, wherein it is
hate}, in the ‘cqntext ” _c$i’ ga:’jai’.af!hg ef a mining lease, that
e7ns;§ronméAg§£ai~ prdiecfigxn has precedence over ecenomic

§rA:’?.1_-*=._Vr§s;:«,.. ¥$:§.v>:AP§’ab§V1ak_ar brings to my natice the Horfble supreme

courfs case :11′ M.c.!-lehta V1 Kama! Kath and

“‘_avt’.§u.ers, in (199?) 1 see 383, where the consicsered

.1 “vtakgn “is that certain reseurces like rivers, farests,

‘ ‘; _seasEi:;§ri:s}:aif, etc. have such a great impeertance to the peeple

weuld be whcaiiy Lmjustified ta make them a subject of

..”‘\.””‘.Vp’fi§1ate ewnership; the said regaurces are a gift at naturea In

&B#{

1?

for diversion 91′ 6124 ha. of fora! land far Bangaiatzs <~£

Mysore Infrastmctzme Qorrsldar Projearsl; out at' wh§cf7__ 31 '.96; .. . : ;_.v A'

ha. of forest land feli in the same Hand! sund;%kReg¢weaL% A

Form; A total Ieagth of 3,2 kms of»Vsaic;! c¢;ir.fi¢{ofr–'(,vgé§ _
proposed to pass through the middfiepf {he fivflanéi-..GuQ:§§if-.,__. .'

Reserves! Forest In the relazgg profiaséé agaéfzsr. %;':em '
939,4 (viii) of the profonna was
mentian about the gaya/endaagémgd .,_fflom"'and faéma
existing in the area, _«'9}og*§1~- 1. fngéma' ha$ been
pmminently mentioned. 'St::%1eej':'»€§§ot{§*;ir§?r:?2é::t*.; request

for appmva! in tbia cam was to, and

a final approve! the Said: Lciis}e:'S§c§:n':.'§vas_..é§ccorded vide
M-9553 letter'I§ég'8¥45;?;?é99%–F?«?~ .c£a'~f _ed.21_~1 -.2003' "

21. It may _éEs,1_5′ «tevflefitract the last perticn of

para 3.6 of tire Cetrtféi’I3’o§’erfi’n§}évnt”s “counter which is as foliczws:

“In §t;€:~e iasfanf the proposai submitted by
Sanqéhfaixnitra A.§;é;)ndé:tien thmugh the State
. *A{;;>ire?:é*nf§1en’t..i{vas ééiéégérehensiveiy examined and has

L_’_f::wfi_r2dT. !;§e”–..acccrded as ‘in»p:’i:2c§p!e’ (Stage-I)
é;>,ézro’vé!.; ifiaxlso seen, that there as net appear as
be ény changes at the ievel sf state er Ce-Mara!

A _V “‘»f..§’overi2nr€ent, that bar the divgrgian w fares: {and

_ “:Lf”tz;a{¥é:fds the pmje-as sf similar nature, 0!’ pmhsbit the
aiversm er fares: land in the Hand: sum: aesenze
1′ -Fcsrest”.

26

36. Far the aforesaid reasons, I ailew this ;aetit.§o:i;j««.§a-ash

the impugned order and d§rect the first resp:e:A;;:::1 e:’f::i::’V–.v1’Cérfi:§éii~.»

Government to ccmslder the case cf t!_i:e..;3gt¥ti;ihér” Vihc.a{_:gra~.r:ut’ ‘ .

ef the fine: er secend stage approvai 3:9 :fpe’t:t§;5?!:é’1″‘$f’

Needless ta abserve that the fi§f$£–~.V..;’esjpAorsid-eni; inte

acceam: ail the materiais ggiaced V¢:>.I:’§V’jA’»21:s”V:f,e¢:c::7.c:”«intofheaningfui
consideration and take a 4d:e2;§ié:§en~’.§r:{.»th锑?*rg§§:ter as expeditéousty

as pessible and §n ar_:y c;3’s’ar,–I§5rit’h.§Af::.__és§i’. timfi: of three

menths frejrrfi”t1′:’e.:.:g:i§t§§§f :§:h«s:§”§ss§:’ a”:i¥:é :3? the certified capy of
tedaws crdéa ” . V I V ‘
Nqgérlder as t”:;«:V:, o s ts.

Sd/*9
Iudge