Fight to save one of the very few leftover city forests in Delhi
With the soaring AQIs, people finding it literally impossible to breathe and the start of long pending discussion on the removal of green cover off the Aravalli and how Delhi lost its green shield which saved it from the dust for centuries, it is imperative that every citizen values every single standing tree not just in solitude but as a intertwined network which selflessly makes our cities liveable.
Delhi’s Deer Park has been a fine example of conservation of deer and as a green belt in the heart of Delhi, which not just helps us breathe but also provides a learning ground for city kids to understand biodiversity in its entirety.
When the DDA decided to move the Deer from the Deer Park few years ago, alarm bells went off and some environmentalists including Verhaen Khanna, Barun Bhanot and Jeevesh Gupta along with their NGOs, New Delhi Nature Society and Campaign For Differently Abled picked up the cudgel to expose the mismanagement of the deer park, stop the movement of Deers and ensure that the land does not fall into the wrong hands.
The case which was dismissed by the High Court allowing the movement of Deer in favour of the DDA was move by Verhaen and Jeevesh in the Supreme court where they not just got a stay on the deer movement but also managed to expose the illegal jhuggis having come up in the middle of the deer park, sale of ducks from the district park lake and no international protocols and guidelines being followed for movement of deers.
During the hearing of the case on 26th November 2025, the Supreme Court observed that the translocation protocol and best practices incorporated in the guidelines issued by the Central Zoo Authority and IUCN Guidelines were not adhered to during the translocation of deer from Deer Park to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve and Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in the State of Rajasthan.
There is no documentary evidence of pre-translocation genetic screening, tagging, tranquilisation protocols, veterinary fitness certification, or behavioural acclimatisation.
The Supreme Court has not just set aside the Delhi High Court’s ruling which refused to interfere with the DDA’s chronic mismanagement in the functioning of the AN Jha Deer Park but has also appointed a Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to conduct an independent, on-ground assessment covering, actual population at Deer Park, its ecological carrying capacity, survival status of deer already shifted to Rajasthan, and a scientific, welfare-compliant roadmap for any future relocation. Further, the Court has asked the DDA to explain, within eight weeks, the reduction in the AN Jha Deer Park area and to stop leasing the park for commercial events from now onwards.
Conclusion
The Supreme Court’s intervention marks a turning point not just for the AN Jha Deer Park, but for how Delhi - and India - approaches urban ecology as a whole. At a time when the city is gasping under hazardous AQI levels and battling the consequences of decades-long environmental neglect, the Court’s decision reinforces a critical truth: preserving natural assets is not a luxury but a civic obligation.
Deer Park is more than a green pocket; it is a living classroom, a biodiversity refuge, and one of the last remaining buffers protecting Delhi from complete ecological collapse. The Court’s insistence on scientific norms, transparent governance, and accountability sets an important precedent for all future wildlife and green-belt decisions.
The author is a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at MDI Gurgaon. He has a Ph.D. in Economic Theory from SUNY Stony Brook, USA.; views are personal
