Uttarakhand-based environmental activist Atul Sati has filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking the revival of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged tiger poaching at Corbett National Park. Sati claimed the apex court was misled into staying the investigation in 2018 and that critical findings—particularly from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII)—were concealed from the bench during the appeal process. The 2018 stay had paused a CBI probe that was originally ordered by the Uttarakhand High Court, following revelations of rampant poaching and suspicious recoveries involving tiger skins linked to the reserve.

In his petition filed on November 1 through advocate Govind Jee, Sati sought the vacation of the stay, arguing that essential evidence was overlooked when the Supreme Court stayed the Uttarakhand High Court’s directive. The stay was issued after former chief wildlife warden DS Khati approached the court, contending that the high court order relied solely on media reports and was granted without hearing the state government’s position. Sati has now alleged that Khati misrepresented facts to the Supreme Court, as the state’s forest department had already submitted an affidavit in response to the high court proceedings.

The 2018 high court order that directed a CBI inquiry was based on a series of petitions from 2012 and 2017 concerning illegal constructions and possible poaching operations in the Corbett Tiger Reserve. One of the petitions cited data obtained through the Right to Information Act, which revealed that 55 tiger and leopard skins were recovered between 2014 and early 2017. The Wildlife Institute of India had also confirmed that some of these skins traced back genetically to tigers from Corbett, pointing to an organized poaching network operating across state and national borders, including Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.

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Sati’s application claims that Khati used a clerical oversight to his advantage, arguing that the high court’s order was placed in a 2012 case rather than the 2017 petition where most documentary evidence was filed. “The prolonged stay has effectively stymied the detection and dismantling of a transnational poaching network,” Sati stated, underscoring the urgent need to reopen the investigation. He added that the delay has allowed possible culprits and facilitators to evade accountability while the ecological and conservation losses continue.

Sati said he decided to approach the Supreme Court again after learning of the apex court’s recent directions for a probe into illegal tree felling and construction activities within Corbett National Park. He cited a 2018 report from Uttarakhand’s forest force head that allegedly indicted Khati in connection with tiger poaching incidents. While Khati did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment, the plea has revived public attention on one of India’s most prominent wildlife sanctuaries and the long-standing allegations of systemic failure in protecting its tiger population.

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