Humane touch, not mere court orders, may help mitigate human-wildlife conflict: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (February 24, 2026) said a deeper understanding of the reasons behind human-wildlife conflict in southern States such as Kerala cannot be gained by mere court orders passed from thousands of miles away, but by being on the ground, reaching out to the local people in their own language.

“This is an issue which has to be addressed not by court orders, but through a humanitarian approach, by reaching out to them, you have to speak their language, understand their issues, their economic conditions, and how certain people or interests are even alluring them,” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, heading a Bench, remarked.

The court said the situations leading to human-wildlife conflicts in the southern States and in some parts of Kerala were “alarming”. “There is a lack of sensitivity, a lack of awareness. There are commercial interests involved and there is also conflict of interest. Also, some are exploiting the situation. There are systematic evasions of the law,” Chief Justice Kant observed orally.

The Court said there was also a comprehensive programme in existence run by the legal services authorities called ‘Access to Justice for Victims of Human-Wildlife Conflicts 2025’.

The court was hearing a series of petitions which referred to the orders passed by the apex court on August 1, 2018 and December 4, 2018 while hearing a plea which highlighted the cruel methods used in some States to manage human-wildlife conflict and in particular human-elephant conflicts. The petitions referred to how spikes or fireballs were being used for driving away elephants.