Jharkhand Ordered to Declare Saranda Forest as Wildlife Sanctuary by Court

On October 8, 2025, the Jharkhand government faced a stern rebuke from the country's top court over its delays in notifying the Saranda forest region as a wildlife sanctuary. The matter has been pending for years, with the state initially proposing to declare 31,468.25 hectares as the sanctuary.

However, the court expressed strong disapproval over the state's "dilly-dallying tactics" and "totally unfair conduct" in the case. The chief justice ordered the Jharkhand chief secretary to appear before the court and explain the delays. During the hearing, the state sought more time, but the court made it clear that it would either have the state government declare the 31,468.25 hectares as a sanctuary or the court would issue a writ of mandamus to do so.

Notably, the state government has now proposed expanding the sanctuary area to 57,519.41 hectares and earmarking an additional 13,603.806 hectares as a conservation reserve. However, the court emphasized that it wants the original 31,468.25 hectares to be notified as a sanctuary immediately, giving the state just one week to do so.

The court also permitted the state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) to continue mining iron ore from its existing mines near the proposed sanctuary, recognizing the national importance of the steel produced for projects like the Chandrayaan mission. But the court barred the state from granting any new mining leases in the area.