HC restrains forest dept from holding event at Asola Bhatti

The Delhi high court on Thursday restrained the forest department from organising the "Walk with Wildlife" walkathon and cyclothon this week at Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary amid concerns about the potential threat to the participants from leopards there.

- Shruti Kakkar

Justice Jasmeet Singh pronounced the order two days after saying the forest department was unaware of the whereabouts of the leopards. While reserving the judgment in the matter on Tuesday, he said the department was hoping the leopards would not come to the track where the event was being organised.

"How do you [forest department] expose people [who would be a part of the event] to that? You do not know about their [leopards] whereabouts. You are hoping they are shy animals. You are hoping that it is not an area where they will come. This kind of an adventure cannot be [permitted]," Justice Singh told advocate Satyakam, who appeared for the department.