ITEM NO.5 COURT NO.2 SECTION PIL-W S U P R E M E C O U R T O F I N D I A RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS WRIT PETITION(S)(CIVIL) NO(S). 202/1995 IN RE : T.N. GODAVARMAN THIRUMULPAD PETITIONER(S)

VERSUS UNION OF INDIA & ORS. RESPONDENT(S) Date : 05-03-2025 This petition was called on for hearing today.

CORAM : HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE B.R. GAVAI HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE AUGUSTINE GEORGE MASIH Amicus Curiae Mr. K. Parameshar,Sr.Adv.

Ms. Kanti,Adv.

Raji Gururaj,Adv.

Mr. Shreebuvas Patil,Adv.

Ms. Chitransha Sikarwar,Adv.

Counsel for parties Mr. Tushar Mehta,S.G.

Mr. Raj Bahadur Yadav,Adv.

Mr. Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General Mr. K.m. Nataraj, A.S.G.

Ms. Mrinal Gopal Elker, AOR Mr. Chinmoy Chaitanya, Adv.

Mr. Dhaval Mehrotra, AOR Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, A.S.G.

Mr. K. M. Nataraj Ld. Asg, A.S.G.

Mr. Shyam Gopal, Adv.

Mr. Salvador Santosh Rebello, Adv.

Ms. Suhasini Sen, Adv.

Mr. Raghav Sharma, Adv.

Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Adv.

Mr. Harish Pandey, Adv. Ms. Indira Bhakar, Adv.

Mr. Anuj Srinivas Udupa, Adv.

Mr. Krishna Kant Dubey, Adv.

Mr. Piyush Beriwal, Adv.

Mr. Neeraj Kumar Sharma, Adv.

Ms. Mrinal Elker Mazumdar, Adv.

Mr. Shashwat Parihar, Adv.

Signa ture No t Ve rifi ed Mr. Mukesh K Verma, Adv. Digital ly s igne d b y Mr. Vinayak Sharma, Adv.

NARENDRA PRASAD Date: 2025.03.06

17:46: 22 IST Mr. Shreekant Neelappa Terdal, AOR Reason:

Ms. Madhavi Divan,Sr.Adv.

Ms. Srishti Agnihotria,AOR Ms. Sanjana Grace Thomas,Adv.

Ms. Aishani Narain,Adv.

Mr. Atharva Kotwal,Adv.

Mr. D.P. Singh,Adv.

Ms. Uttara Babbar, Sr. Adv.

Mr. Deeptakirti Verma, AOR Ms. Neha Sharma, Adv.

Mr. Amaya Nair, Adv.

Mr. Rajat Arora,AOR Mr. P.K. Manohar,AOR Mr. G.S. Makker,AOR Mr. Arun K. Sinha,AOR Mr. Ashutosh Kumar Sharma,AOR Mr. Nishant Katneshwarkar,Adv.

Mr. Siddharth Dharmadhikari, Adv.

Mr. Aaditya Aniruddha Pande, AOR Mr. Bharat Bagla, Adv.

Ms. Aditya Krishna, Adv.

Ms. Preet S. Phanse, Adv.

Mr. Adarsh Dubey, Adv.

Mr. Saurabh Rajpal,Adv.

Petitioner(s)/Applicant(s) in person Mr. Mukul Rohatgi, Sr. Adv.

Mr. Mahesh Agarwal, Adv.

Mr. Shivam Shukla, Adv.

Mr. Nilay Gupta, Adv.

Mr. E.C. Agrawala, AOR Mr. Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General Mr. K.M. Nataraj, A.S.G.

Ms. Mrinal Gopal Elker, AOR Mr. Chinmoy Chaitanya, Adv.

UPON hearing the counsel, the Court made the following

O R D E R

[ 1 ] I.A. NOS. 44500 & 44502 OF 2025 AND I.A. NOS. 44507, 44504 OF 202 5

1. Issue notice, returnable on 19.03.2025.

2. Mr. Saurabh Rajpal, learned counsel, appears and waives notice for the State of Rajasthan.

3. Dasti service, in addition, is granted.

4. In addition to the usual mode, liberty is granted to the petitioner(s) to serve notice through the Central Agency/Standing Counsel for the respondent(s).

[ 2 ] I.A. NO. 118236 & 129623 OF 2020, I.A. NO. 179389 OF 2018 (in I.A. 502), I.A. NO. 69399 OF 2021, I.A. NO. 144539 OF 2021 & I.A. NO. 13413 OF 2023 (CEC Report NO. 02/2023), I.A NO. 217138 OF 202 4 List on 26.03.2025.

[ 3 ]. I.A. NO. 285881 OF 2024 WITH I.A. NO. 285829, 285830 OF

2024 AND I.A. NO. 300603 OF 2024

1. Vide our order dated 20.02.2025, we had directed the State of Uttrakhand to complete the formalities qua Eco- Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of both Rajaji National Park and Jim Corbett National Park within a period of two weeks from the date of the said order.

2. In pursuance to the said order the State ought to have filed its compliance affidavit by today.

3. Shri A.K. Sharma, learned counsel appearing for the State of Uttrakhand, submits that since the Court had granted two weeks’ time, which was to expire today the State was under an impression that it could file its compliance affidavit any time during the course of the day today.

4. When the matter was specifically listed today, the least State could have done was to be ready with the compliance affidavit.

5. Be that as it may, we are inclined to keep the matter for hearing on 19.03.2025.

6. We clarify that any lethargy on the part of the State in this matter would not be taken lightly by this Court.

7. Shri K. Parameshwar, learned Amicus Curiae has brought to our notice the Report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on