JUDGMENT :

M. S. Sonak, J.

If there is no forest, then the tiger gets killed;

if there is no tiger, then the forest gets destroyed.

Hence, the tiger protects the forest and the forest guards the tiger!

-Mahabharat (Kumbhaghonam Edition) – Udyoga Parva: 5.29.57 (NTCA Report on Status of Tigers - 2022)

1. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that 3726 to 5578 tigers live in the wild worldwide. Out of these, the tiger population in India, as per the 2023 Tiger Census, is estimated at 3167. In 1947, at the time of independence of India, the estimate in India was 40,000 tigers. Therefore, in less than 76 years, the tiger population has decreased by almost 92%. The Tigers are still considered endangered and remain on IUCN’s red list, assessing the endangered species status. About 2000 tigers (65%) are estimated to exist within the notified tiger reserves in India. Thus, about 1167 tigers (35 %) are outside India's declared 54 tiger reserves. The exhaustive studies undertaken or commissioned by the Central Ministry of Environment and Forest indicate the need f