There Are 2967 Tigers Spread In 53 Tiger Reserves As Per 2018 Census: Centre Tells Supreme Court

This number even constitutes 70% of the world tiger population and figures continue to grow, a Bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna was told. The Court was hearing a plea aiming to relocate human settlements from reserve forests to save the tiger population in the country.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati revealed the data. She expressed that the plea could be disposed of as a lot of work had already been done in the area.

The petitioner wasn’t present for the hearing. So, the Court said that it would adjourn the matter so that the petitioner may appear for the next hearing. If he doesn’t appear, we will appoint an amicus, the Bench said.

The next hearing is on March 4.

“So, there are less than 5000 tigers in the world?”, the Bench asked as the matter drew to a close.

Yes. They were on the verge of extinction, the ASG said.

“How many lions are there? No one is asking about”, the Bench further queried.

The ASG said that there was a plea in Court 8 listed yesterday. However, it couldn’t be taken up as the Bench wasn’t available for the day.

“Nobody asks about human beings!”, Justice Joseph joked.

Human beings growing every half a second, Justice Nagarathna added.

In the PIL, Advocate Anupam Tripathi submitted that 41 tigers were killed in 7 months i.e., from January to August 9 in the year 2015, as per the data provided by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The plea stated that there were 74 tiger deaths reported in the year 2016, the petitioner said while submitting that these wild cats were killed by the locals residing near the reserve forests either due to man-animal conflict or poaching.

It was alleged that the tigers are being indiscriminately, barbarically and monstrously killed either by poisoning by the locals or by the authorities, shooting by the Forest Guards, poaching etc. Thus, tigers are being killed each day in the cruellest fashion.

Case Title: Anupam Tripathi And Anr. v. UoI And Ors. WP(C) No. 683/2017

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