Blog Details

Gir National Park

Gir lion safari

• Author : Adeeb Sahil
• Date : August 21, 2025

A new decision has come from the Gujarat High Court. The court said that no action should be taken against the Taj Hotel near Gir National Park until August 28, 2025. This is not a final decision. It is only a temporary order until the next hearing.

Indian Hotels Company Limited, also known as IHCL, is the company that runs the Taj Hotel. Many tourists stay at this hotel when they come for the Gir lion safaris. The hotel is close to Gir National Park, which is a protected area for animals, including the Asiatic lion.

Some people and groups are worried that this hotel may be harming the environment. They think the hotel is too close to the forest and the wild animals. They say that the hotel makes noise, uses lights, and has too many tourists, which can disturb the animals.

There has been a legal case going on in the Gujarat High Court for many years. This case is about whether the Taj Hotel and other hotels near Gir Park are following all the rules. These rules are important for protecting wildlife and the forest.

The High Court has now said that no strict action should be taken against the Taj Hotel until the next hearing on August 28. This gives the hotel company some more time. The case is still going on, and the final decision will be made later.

What Is The Problem?

The problem started in 2014. A person filed a case in the Gujarat High Court. This case is called a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). A PIL is when someone goes to court to solve a problem that affects many people or the environment.

In this case, the person said that many hotels and resorts near Gir National Park were working without proper permission. They said the hotels did not take the needed documents called “No Objection Certificates” (NOCs).

These NOCs are given by the Forest Department and environmental authorities. NOCs show that a hotel or business can run in a certain place and will not harm the environment.

The person who filed the PIL said that hotels near Gir National Park were causing problems for the forest and the animals. The Gir Forest is the only natural habitat of the Asiatic lions. These lions need a quiet and clean space to live.

Lions may get disturbed because of tourists, loud noises, and bright lights. So, the person asked the court to stop all hotels that did not have proper NOCs.

The PIL also said that these hotels were not following important Indian laws. These laws are made to protect wildlife and forests. The two main laws mentioned in the PIL are:

• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
• Indian Forest Act

The person said that the government should make sure that every hotel near the forest follows these laws. If they don’t follow the laws, they should not be allowed to run their business.

What Did The Court Do In 2015?

In 2015, the Gujarat High Court looked at this case very seriously. The court checked the documents. The court found that some hotels did not take the needed NOCs. They were working without proper approval.

So, the court gave a strong order. The court said that all hotels and resorts near Gir National Park that did not have permission should be closed. These hotels must be sealed, meaning they cannot work or allow guests to stay.

This order also included the Taj Hotel near Gir National Park. After this order, many hotels were sealed by the government. They were told to stop working.

This 2015 order showed that the court wanted to protect the forest and animals more than helping hotel businesses. Many people who care about wildlife were happy. The hotel and travel industry people began to feel tension and concern about this.

They wanted to know how they could run their hotels near protected areas without breaking the law.

What Did The Supreme Court Do After That?

After the Gujarat High Court’s order in 2015, the company that runs the Taj Hotel, IHCL, was not happy. They decided to go to the Supreme Court of India. In the whole country, no other court is above the Supreme Court in authority.

IHCL went to the Supreme Court and requested that the Gujarat High Court’s order be stopped. They said the order was too strong and wanted the hotel to stay open.

The Supreme Court looked at the case and gave a temporary stay. A stay means that no action should be taken for now. This allowed the Taj Hotel to open again.

But this stay was not a final decision. The case was still open. The Supreme Court wanted to make sure everything was looked at properly and fairly.

So, the Taj Hotel could keep working, but it had to follow some rules. The Supreme Court’s stay only stopped action for a short time until the case was decided.

What Happened In 2025?

In 2025, IHCL again went to the Gujarat High Court. They filed a new request. They requested the court to reevaluate the 2015 order. They said the Supreme Court had already stopped that order many years ago.

They told the Gujarat High Court that the 2015 sealing order should not be used now. They said the hotel should not be sealed again because the Supreme Court had already given protection.

On July 28, 2025, the Gujarat High Court gave a new temporary order. The court stated that no strong actions should be taken against the Taj Hotel until further hearings. The next hearing will happen on August 28, 2025.

This means that the Taj Hotel can stay open for now. There will be no sealing or closure of the hotel in the coming weeks. The court will talk more about the case at the next hearing.

This decision is helpful for tourists who want to visit this park for Gir lion safaris. They can still stay at the Taj Hotel. But the hotel must continue to follow all legal and environmental rules.