The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 11, 2025) took strong exception to an order of the Uttarakhand High Court staying the State government’s sanction to prosecute a former Director of the Corbett Tiger Reserve in connection with an ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into illegal tree felling and unauthorised construction for the Corbett Tiger Safari project in the reserve’s buffer zone.
A Bench of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria said it was “amazed” at the High Court’s intervention, particularly when the CBI investigation was being directly monitored by the top court.
“...we are amazed at the approach of the High Court. The High Court should have at least perused the sanction order, where a reference is made to our earlier orders. Time and again, we have said that the High Courts are not inferior to the Supreme Court. However, when on the judicial side, the Supreme Court is seized of a matter, the High Court is expected to give due respect to the proceedings before this Court,” the Bench observed.
The High Court, on October 14, had stayed the State government’s order issued a month earlier, granting sanction to prosecute the 2004-batch Indian Forest Service officer Rahul, who goes by a first name. The sanction followed the Supreme Court’s earlier censure of the State for extending “special treatment” to the officer, who was appointed Director of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve despite being under suspension for his alleged role in irregularities related to tree felling and unauthorised construction during his tenure as Director of the Corbett reserve.
