The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) asked if the “country should remain at a standstill’ to a petitioner who challenged the launch of an “ambitious” night safari project by the Uttar Pradesh government within the 2,000-hectare Kukrail reserve forest near Lucknow.
The State government advertised the project as the “first of its kind in the country, and the third or fourth in the world”. The court was responding to petitioner’s challenge to the use of State-owned reserve forest land for commercial tourism.
A three-judge Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant was hearing an application filed by the Uttar Pradesh government for permission to go ahead with the Kukrail Night Safari and Zoological Park project, spread over 850 acres within the reserved forest area. Prior leave from the Supreme Court is mandatory for establishing zoos and night safaris, as per a February 2024 order of the court.
The court greenlighted the project, noting that it had clearances from the Union Environment Ministry, the Central Zoo Authority, and was further ready to comply “100%” with the conditions put forth by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).
The court directed the CEC to periodically visit the project site and monitor compliance. It cautioned that any breach on the part of the State or other stakeholders would be viewed seriously. The Bench has sought a status report from the CEC after three months. The court directed that the project should receive any remaining clearances required under the law, which includes the Forest Conservation Act.
The project includes the shifting of the over century-old Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Park, which was formerly known as the Lucknow Zoological Garden.
The court noted the State government’s reason that the park was too close to densely populated areas of the city. Furthermore, the zoo was adjacent to busy thoroughfares hostile to animal conservation and breeding. The Bench noted that the decision to shift had been taken in August 2022.
“This is a commercial tourism project in a reserve forest… This is not any land, but reserve forest under the State of Uttar Pradesh,” a counsel for the petitioner’s side objected in court.
But the Bench recorded that 71% of the project area, that is, over 610 acres, would be green cover. It said there should be “dedicated efforts” to keep tree-felling to the minimum and focus on eco-restoration by replacing invasive flora species with native ones. The court noted that the proposed area of the project was not near any wildlife corridors or within the vicinity of any protected region.
The counsel persisted in drawing attention to the shifting of the 100-year-old zoo.
To this, the Bench referred to the permission from the Central Zoo Authority. The court order recorded the State’s submission that the old zoo had no scope for expansion and modernisation.
“Zoos are now outdated. The animals should be looked after. That is why there are domain experts. These experts would look into the project, ensure the conditions are met, and we will ensure that there is continuous monitoring,” Chief Justice Kant said.
