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The Wild Life (Protection) Act and the categories of protected area

தமிழில் விளக்கம்

Protected areas and wildlife conservation · Part 1 / 3 · Fact-checked on 8 November 2026 · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

The constitutional base of wildlife protection; the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, its authorities, hunting ban and schedules after 2022; sanctuaries, national parks, conservation and community reserves compared; eco-sensitive zones; enforcement and CITES.

Each idea is explained first in Tamil (தமிழ்), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Tamil and revise it in English.

பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட பகுதி என்றால் சட்டப்படி வனவிலங்குகளுக்கே ஒதுக்கப்பட்ட நிலம் அல்லது நீர்ப் பகுதி, ஊரில் கோயில் நிலத்தை யாரும் ஆக்கிரமிக்காமல் எழுதி வைப்பது போல. இந்தப் பகுதியில் சட்டம் என்ன சொல்கிறது, இனங்களை எப்படி வகைப்படுத்துகிறது, நான்கு வகைப் பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட பகுதிகள் எவை என்று பார்ப்போம். (→ English: protected area · हिन्दी: संरक्षित क्षेत्र)

In exam EnglishThe biodiversity chapter ended with in situ conservation, protecting species where they live. In India the main legal tool for that is the protected area, a piece of land or water set aside by law so that wildlife comes first there. This chapter has three parts. This first part covers the legal frame: where the Constitution places wildlife, what the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 does, how it ranks species in its schedules, and the four kinds of protected area it creates, from the strict national park to the people-run community reserve, along with the eco-sensitive zones drawn around them. Part 2 turns to tigers, elephants and other species programmes, and Part 3 to biosphere reserves, Ramsar sites and World Heritage sites.

முதலில் காடுகளும் வனவிலங்குகளும் மாநிலங்களின் பொறுப்பு. 1976இல் 42ஆவது திருத்தம் அவற்றைப் பொதுப் பட்டியல் க்கு மாற்றியது, அதாவது மத்திய அரசும் மாநிலமும் இருவரும் சட்டம் இயற்றலாம், வீட்டுப் பொறுப்பை அண்ணன் தம்பி இருவரும் பகிர்வது போல. அரசு நெறிமுறைக் கோட்பாடுகள் இல் 48A அரசுக்கும், அடிப்படைக் கடமைகள் இல் 51A(g) ஒவ்வொரு குடிமகனுக்கும் இயற்கையைக் காக்கச் சொல்கின்றன. (→ English: Concurrent List; Directive Principles of State Policy; Fundamental Duties · हिन्दी: समवर्ती सूची; राज्य की नीति के निदेशक तत्व; मूल कर्तव्य)

In exam EnglishWhen the Constitution began, forests and the protection of wild animals and birds were State subjects. The 42nd Amendment of 1976 moved both to the Concurrent List, as entries 17A and 17B, so that Parliament and the states could both legislate on them. The same amendment added two lines that courts still quote. Article 48A, among the Directive Principles of State Policy, says the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country. Article 51A(g), one of the Fundamental Duties, asks every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures. Concern for wildlife had appeared earlier: the Indian Board for Wild Life, an advisory body, was set up in 1952, the year the cheetah was declared extinct in India.

சட்டம் 1972இல் வந்தது. அப்போது வனவிலங்குகள் மாநில விஷயம் என்பதால், சில மாநிலங்கள் 'நீங்களே சட்டம் இயற்றுங்கள்' என்று கேட்ட பின் நாடாளுமன்றம் 252ஆவது பிரிவின் கீழ் இயற்றியது. மேலே பிரதமர் தலைமையில் தேசிய வனவிலங்கு வாரியம், மாநிலத்தில் முதல்வர் வாரியம், அன்றாட வேலையைத் தலைமை வனவிலங்குக் காப்பாளர் பார்க்கிறார், வீட்டில் பெரியவர், மேலாளர், காவலர் போல. (→ English: Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; National Board for Wildlife; Chief Wildlife Warden · हिन्दी: वन्यजीव (संरक्षण) अधिनियम, 1972; राष्ट्रीय वन्यजीव बोर्ड; मुख्य वन्यजीव संरक्षक)

In exam EnglishThe Wild Life (Protection) Act was passed in 1972. Because wildlife was still a State subject then, Parliament enacted it under Article 252, after the legislatures of several states had passed resolutions asking it to; other states adopted it later. The Act has been amended several times, most importantly in 2002, which added new kinds of protected area and the National Board for Wildlife, in 2006, which set up the tiger authority and the crime bureau, and in 2022, which rewrote the schedules. At the top of its machinery is the National Board for Wildlife, chaired by the Prime Minister, which advises on policy and must be consulted on changes to protected areas. Each state has a State Board for Wildlife chaired by the Chief Minister, and a Chief Wildlife Warden who runs protected areas and issues permits.

சட்டத்தின் முக்கிய விதி: பட்டியலில் உள்ள வனவிலங்கை வேட்டையாடக் கூடாது. வேட்டை என்றால் கொல்வது மட்டுமல்ல, பிடிப்பது, கண்ணி வைப்பது, கூட்டைக் கலைப்பதும் கூட. மனித உயிருக்கு ஆபத்தான விலங்கு அல்லது ஆராய்ச்சி போன்ற சில நிலைகளில் மட்டுமே அனுமதி. 2022 முதல் ஆறு பட்டியல்களுக்குப் பதில் நான்கு, பள்ளியில் வகுப்புகளைக் குறைத்து இணைத்தது போல. (→ English: hunting; schedules; vermin · हिन्दी: शिकार; अनुसूचियाँ; पीड़क-जंतु)

In exam EnglishThe core rule of the Act is simple: no person may hunt a wild animal listed in its protective schedules. 'Hunting' is defined widely, covering killing, poisoning, capturing, trapping and even injuring or disturbing eggs and nests. The exceptions are narrow. Under Section 11 the Chief Wildlife Warden may allow an animal to be killed or captured if it has become dangerous to human life or is so disabled or diseased that it cannot recover; under Section 12 permits may be granted for education, scientific research, scientific management or for zoos. How strictly a species is guarded depends on its schedule. The 2022 amendment cut the schedules from six to four and added a full chapter to carry out CITES, the convention on international trade in endangered species. It also dropped the separate vermin schedule; instead the central government may, by notification, declare a wild animal other than those in Schedule I to be vermin for a given area and period.

Schedules of the Wild Life (Protection) Act after the 2022 amendment
Schedule	What it lists
I	Animal species given the highest protection
II	Animal species given lesser protection
III	Protected plant species
IV	Specimens listed in the CITES appendices

வனவிலங்குச் சரணாலயம் ஐ மாநில அரசு அறிவிக்கிறது. முதலில் 'இங்கே சரணாலயம் அமைப்போம்' என்று சொல்லி, ஆட்சியர் அங்குள்ள மக்களின் உரிமைகளை, நிலம், விறகு போன்றவற்றை, ஆய்ந்து தீர்த்த பிறகே இறுதி அறிவிப்பு. உள்ளே அனுமதியின்றி எதையும் வெட்டக் கூடாது. கால்நடை மேய்ச்சலைக் காப்பாளர் கட்டுப்படுத்தலாம் அல்லது தடுக்கலாம், அதாவது சிறிது இணக்கத்துக்கு இடம் உண்டு. (→ English: wildlife sanctuary; Collector; settlement of rights · हिन्दी: वन्यजीव अभयारण्य; कलेक्टर; अधिकारों का निपटारा)

In exam EnglishThe first kind of protected area under the Act is the wildlife sanctuary. A state government may declare any area of adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance a sanctuary in order to protect wildlife or its environment. Declaration happens in two steps. The state first notifies its intention, and the Collector then inquires into and settles the rights of people living in or using the area, such as rights over land or forest produce; only then is the final notification issued. Inside a sanctuary nobody may destroy or remove wildlife or forest produce, or damage the habitat, without a permit from the Chief Wildlife Warden. Some human activity can still continue under control. The Chief Wildlife Warden may regulate, control or prohibit the grazing of livestock, and rights that the Collector allowed to continue remain in force.

தேசியப் பூங்கா மிகக் கடுமையானது, வீட்டில் பூஜை அறை போல: அங்கே செருப்புக் கூட அணிவதில்லை. மக்களின் உரிமைகள் கிட்டத்தட்ட அனைத்தும் முடிகின்றன, கால்நடை மேய்ச்சல் அறவே இல்லை. பல பூங்காக்கள் முதலில் சரணாலயங்களே, பின்னர் மேல்படிக்கு உயர்ந்தன. முதலாவது 1936 ஹெய்லி, இன்றைய உத்தராகண்ட் கார்பெட். (→ English: national park; Hailey National Park; Corbett National Park · हिन्दी: राष्ट्रीय उद्यान; हेली राष्ट्रीय उद्यान; कॉर्बेट राष्ट्रीय उद्यान)

In exam EnglishThe national park is the strictest category. A state government may declare an area, whether inside a sanctuary or not, a national park when it is ecologically important enough to protect, propagate or develop wildlife or its environment. The rights of people in the land must be settled before the final notification, and in practice almost all private rights end, often through acquisition or resettlement. Inside a national park the grazing of livestock is not permitted at all, and nothing may be destroyed or removed except under a permit given for the improvement and better management of wildlife. Because a national park can be carved out of an existing sanctuary, many began as sanctuaries and were later upgraded. India's first national park was set up in 1936 in the United Provinces as Hailey National Park; it was later renamed after the hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett and is now Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.

சரணாலயம், தேசியப் பூங்கா இரண்டையும் மாநிலமே அறிவிக்கிறது. சரணாலயத்தில் சிறிது மேய்ச்சல், சில உரிமைகள் இருக்கலாம்; பூங்காவில் இல்லை. எல்லையை மாற்ற தேசிய வனவிலங்கு வாரியப் பரிந்துரை கட்டாயம், வீட்டுச் சுவரை நகர்த்தப் பெரியவர் அனுமதி வேண்டுவது போல. (→ English: alteration of boundaries; National Board for Wildlife · हिन्दी: सीमाओं में परिवर्तन; राष्ट्रीय वन्यजीव बोर्ड)

In exam EnglishPlacing the two side by side brings out the differences the exam tests. Both are declared by the state government by notification, though the central government can also declare either over land the state hands to it. A sanctuary may allow some regulated grazing and some continuing rights; a national park allows no grazing and keeps hardly any private rights. On one point the two are equal: since the 2002 amendment, the state government cannot alter the boundaries of either, or denotify any part, except on the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife. That check exists because boundary changes were often used to open protected land to mining, dams or roads. In practice the Board's standing committee, chaired by the environment minister, examines such proposals, and projects inside protected areas need its clearance.

இரண்டு காடுகளுக்கு இடையிலான இடைவெளிகளும் ஊர் நிலங்களும் விலங்குகளுக்கு வழிதான். அதனால் 2002இல் இரண்டு புதியவை: பாதுகாப்புக் காப்பகம் அரசு நிலத்தில், ஊர் மக்களைக் கேட்ட பின்; சமூகக் காப்பகம் ஊர் அல்லது சொந்த நிலத்தில், மக்கள் தாமாக முன்வந்தால். மக்களின் உரிமைகள் போகாது, குழுவில் அவர்களே இருப்பார்கள். இரண்டு பெரிய ஊர்களுக்கு இடையே பாலம் கட்டுவது போல இவை காடுகளை இணைக்கின்றன. (→ English: conservation reserve; community reserve · हिन्दी: संरक्षण आरक्षित क्षेत्र; सामुदायिक आरक्षित क्षेत्र)

In exam EnglishNational parks and sanctuaries leave large gaps: forests between them, and village or private land where wildlife also lives. The 2002 amendment filled these gaps with two new categories. A conservation reserve is declared by the state government, after consulting local communities, on land owned by the government, especially land next to national parks and sanctuaries or land that links one protected area with another; its purpose is to protect landscapes, seascapes, plants and animals and their habitat. A community reserve is declared on community or private land where a community or an individual has volunteered to conserve wildlife and its habitat. Each is run by a management committee drawn from local people and officials, and the rights of the people living there are not taken away. They make residents partners and help protect the corridors animals use between larger protected areas.

The four protected-area categories of the Wild Life (Protection) Act
Category	Land	People's rights	Managed by
National park	Usually government	Settled; almost none remain; no grazing	Chief Wildlife Warden
Wildlife sanctuary	Usually government	Some may continue; grazing may be regulated	Chief Wildlife Warden
Conservation reserve (2002)	Government, often linking PAs	Not taken away	Conservation reserve management committee
Community reserve (2002)	Community or private	Not taken away	Community reserve management committee

வீட்டைச் சுற்றி மதில் இருந்தாலும், பக்கத்தில் குப்பை எரித்தால் புகை உள்ளே வரும் அல்லவா. அதனால் பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட பகுதியைச் சுற்றி சூழல் உணர்திறன் மண்டலம் இருக்கிறது, பொதுவாக 10 கி.மீ. வரை. அங்கே சுரங்கம், மாசுபடுத்தும் தொழிற்சாலைகள் தடை; மரம் வெட்டுதல், விடுதிகள் கட்டுப்பாட்டில்; சாதாரண விவசாயம் அனுமதி. இது வனவிலங்குச் சட்டத்தின் கீழ் அல்ல, 1986 சுற்றுச்சூழல் சட்டத்தின் கீழ். (→ English: eco-sensitive zone; Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 · हिन्दी: पारिस्थितिक संवेदनशील क्षेत्र; पर्यावरण (संरक्षण) अधिनियम, 1986)

In exam EnglishA protected area does not end cleanly at its boundary; a quarry or factory just outside can damage it as surely as one inside. For this reason the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notifies an eco-sensitive zone around a protected area, using its powers under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not the Wild Life Act. The ministry's guidelines of 2011 say such a zone may extend up to 10 km from the boundary, and can be wider where corridors or sensitive land lie beyond. Activities inside it are sorted into three lists: prohibited ones, such as commercial mining and polluting industries; regulated ones, such as felling of trees or building hotels; and permitted ones, such as ordinary farming and rainwater harvesting. In June 2022 the Supreme Court, in the T. N. Godavarman Thirumulpad case, directed that every protected area have an eco-sensitive zone of at least 1 km, and in April 2023 it relaxed that order for zones already notified or proposed.

வனவிலங்குக் குற்றங்கள் பெரிய கும்பல்களின் வேலை: புலித்தோல், காண்டாமிருகக் கொம்பு, யானைத் தந்தம், எறும்புண்ணிச் செதில்கள் எல்லை தாண்டி விற்கப்படுகின்றன. அதனால் அவற்றின் வணிகம் தடை. டெல்லியில் உள்ள வனவிலங்குக் குற்றக் கட்டுப்பாட்டுப் பணியகம் (2007) காவல், வனம், சுங்கத் துறைகளை இணைத்து வேலை செய்ய வைக்கிறது, ஊர்த் திருட்டுக்கு எல்லாத் தெருக் காவலர்களும் சேர்ந்து செயல்படுவது போல. (→ English: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau; CITES · हिन्दी: वन्यजीव अपराध नियंत्रण ब्यूरो; CITES)

In exam EnglishLaws need enforcement, and wildlife crime is often organised and cross-border, driven by demand for tiger parts, rhino horn, ivory, pangolin scales and live birds. The Act therefore bans trade in animals listed for the highest protection and in articles and trophies made from them, and requires people holding such items to declare them. The 2006 amendment created the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, set up in 2007 with its headquarters in New Delhi, to collect intelligence on organised wildlife crime, coordinate the police, forest, customs and other agencies, and help the states in investigations. On the international side, the 2022 amendment made the Act the vehicle for India's duties under CITES: Schedule IV lists the species in the CITES appendices, and the central government names a Management Authority to issue trade permits and a Scientific Authority to advise it. The 2022 amendment also raised the fines for offences.

மொத்தம் ஒரு ஏணி: கீழே அரசியலமைப்பு, அதன் மேல் 1972 சட்டம், அந்தச் சட்டத்தில் நான்கு படிகள், மிகக் கடுமையான தேசியப் பூங்கா முதல் மக்களே நடத்தும் சமூகக் காப்பகம் வரை. சுற்றி உணர்திறன் மண்டலம், எல்லைக்கு வாரியக் காவல். இவை அனைத்தும் சேர்ந்து ஒரு பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட பகுதி அமைப்பு. (→ English: protected area network · हिन्दी: संरक्षित क्षेत्र नेटवर्क)

In exam EnglishThe pieces fit into a ladder of protection. The Constitution supplies the base: a shared law-making power through the Concurrent List, a duty on the State in Article 48A and a duty on every citizen in Article 51A(g). The Wild Life (Protection) Act turns this into rules: a ban on hunting scheduled animals, a ranking of species in four schedules, and four kinds of protected area. National parks sit at the strict end, with no grazing and almost no private rights; sanctuaries allow regulated use; conservation reserves and community reserves bring government land between parks and people's own land into the system with residents as partners. Around them eco-sensitive zones, drawn under a different Act, soften the edge, and the National Board for Wildlife guards every boundary change.

Exam traps

Forests (17A) and protection of wild animals and birds (17B) are in the CONCURRENT List, moved there by the 42nd Amendment (1976); they were earlier in the State List.
Article 48A is a Directive Principle (duty of the State); Article 51A(g) is a Fundamental Duty (duty of citizens). Both came with the 42nd Amendment.
The National Board for Wildlife is chaired by the PRIME MINISTER; the State Board by the Chief Minister.
Grazing is NOT permitted in a national park; in a sanctuary it may be regulated, controlled or prohibited.
Boundaries of a sanctuary OR a national park can be altered only on the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife, not by the state alone.
Conservation reserves are on GOVERNMENT land; community reserves are on COMMUNITY or PRIVATE land. Both were added in 2002.
Eco-sensitive zones are notified under the ENVIRONMENT (PROTECTION) ACT, 1986, not the Wild Life Act.
After the 2022 amendment the Act has FOUR schedules, not six, and Schedule IV is for CITES specimens; there is no separate vermin schedule.

Recap

42nd Amendment (1976): forests and wildlife to the Concurrent List (17A, 17B); Article 48A (State) and 51A(g) (citizens).
Indian Board for Wild Life, 1952; Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, passed under Article 252; key amendments 2002, 2006, 2022.
National Board for Wildlife (PM), State Boards (CM), Chief Wildlife Warden; hunting banned, exceptions in Sections 11 and 12.
Four schedules since 2022: I and II animals, III plants, IV CITES specimens; vermin by central notification (not Schedule I animals).
Sanctuary: state notification, Collector settles rights, grazing may be regulated.
National park: strictest, no grazing, rights settled; first was Hailey (1936), now Corbett, Uttarakhand.
Boundary changes of sanctuaries and national parks only on the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife.
Conservation reserve (government land) and community reserve (community or private land), both from 2002, run by committees.
Eco-sensitive zones under the EPA 1986: up to 10 km (2011 guidelines); Supreme Court 2022: at least 1 km, relaxed in 2023.
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (2007, New Delhi); trade bans; CITES implemented through the 2022 amendment.

Practice questions

Q1. 'Protection of wild animals and birds' was placed in the Concurrent List by which constitutional amendment?

24th Amendment, 1971
42nd Amendment, 1976
44th Amendment, 1978
73rd Amendment, 1992

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Answer: B. 42nd Amendment, 1976

The 42nd Amendment (1976) added entries 17A and 17B to the Concurrent List. The 24th Amendment dealt with Parliament's power to amend Fundamental Rights, the 44th mainly with emergency safeguards and the right to property, and the 73rd with panchayats.

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. Article 48A of the Constitution is a Fundamental Duty to protect the environment.
2. Article 51A(g) asks citizens to have compassion for living creatures.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: B. 2 only

Statement 1 is wrong: Article 48A is a Directive Principle addressed to the State, not a Fundamental Duty, so options 1 and 3 fail. Statement 2 is correct, so option 4 fails.

Q3. Who chairs the National Board for Wildlife constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972?

The President
The Prime Minister
The Union Minister of Environment
The Director General of Forests

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Answer: B. The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister chairs the National Board for Wildlife. The President has no such role; the environment minister chairs the Board's standing committee, not the Board; and the Director General of Forests is an official, not the chair.

Q4. With reference to protected areas under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which one of the following statements is correct?

Grazing of livestock may be permitted in a national park.
A state government can alter the boundary of a sanctuary on its own.
A national park may be declared within an existing sanctuary.
Community reserves can be declared only on government land.

Show answer

Answer: C. A national park may be declared within an existing sanctuary.

A national park may be declared whether or not the area lies inside a sanctuary. Grazing is not permitted in a national park; boundary changes need the National Board for Wildlife's recommendation; and community reserves are on community or private land.

Q5. Match List I with List II:
List I (Category) — List II (Feature)
A. Conservation reserve — 1. Community or private land, conserved voluntarily
B. Community reserve — 2. Government land, often linking protected areas
C. National park — 3. No grazing of livestock
Select the correct answer using the code below.

A-2, B-1, C-3
A-1, B-2, C-3
A-3, B-1, C-2
A-2, B-3, C-1

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Answer: A. A-2, B-1, C-3

Conservation reserves are on government land, community reserves on community or private land, and national parks forbid grazing: A-2, B-1, C-3. Option 2 swaps the two reserves, and options 3 and 4 give the no-grazing rule to a reserve.

Q6. Eco-sensitive zones around protected areas are notified under

The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
The Biological Diversity Act, 2002

Show answer

Answer: C. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

The Ministry notifies eco-sensitive zones under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Wild Life Act creates the protected areas themselves, the Forest (Conservation) Act controls diversion of forest land, and the Biological Diversity Act deals with access to biological resources.

Q7. Consider the following statements about the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 as amended in 2022:
1. The Act now has four schedules, one of which lists specimens in the CITES appendices.
2. Animals in Schedule I can be declared vermin by the central government.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct: there are four schedules and Schedule IV covers CITES specimens. Statement 2 is wrong because the power to declare vermin excludes Schedule I animals, so options 2 and 3 fail; option 4 fails because statement 1 is true.

Q8. India's first national park, set up in 1936, is known today as

Kaziranga National Park
Corbett National Park
Kanha National Park
Gir National Park

Show answer

Answer: B. Corbett National Park

Hailey National Park (1936) in the United Provinces was renamed after Jim Corbett and is now Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand. Kaziranga, Kanha and Gir were all declared national parks much later.

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Sources

Constitution of India: Articles 48A, 51A(g), 252; Seventh Schedule, List III, entries 17A and 17B (Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976) — https://legislative.gov.in/constitution-of-india
The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2002, 2006 and 2022 (Sections 5A, 9, 11, 12, 18–38, 36A–36D, 38Y, 49A–49C and Schedules I–IV) — https://www.indiacode.nic.in
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Wildlife Institute of India (ENVIS): protected areas of India, National Wildlife Action Plan, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau — https://moef.gov.in
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Section 3, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests guidelines for declaration of eco-sensitive zones around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries (2011) — https://www.indiacode.nic.in
Supreme Court of India, In re: T. N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India, judgment of 3 June 2022 and order of 26 April 2023 on eco-sensitive zones — https://main.sci.gov.in