Filed by Bannerghatta Nature Conservation Trust, the first hearing was on the 3rd of September 2020, in which the court instructed the respondents to respond to the various sensitive issues raised in the PIL which are contrary to the interests of conservation, and importantly, violate the guidelines and orders of the Honourable Supreme Court of India.

The next date of hearing is on the 23rd of September 2020.

BNCT has been at the forefront in protecting the natural assets of the BNP and surrounding forest since 2016. Through an earlier PIL, BNCT was instrumental in getting an order to mark a 10 Km region of BNP as an ecologically sensitive zone.

This was unfortunately negated by the recent wanton act of the Government when they issued a gazette notification to reduce the ESZ by over 100 Sq Km. No doubt this was in response to deep vested interests and the real estate and quarry and mining lobby.