Nagpur: In a landmark judgment with nationwide implications, the Supreme Court has directed all States to ensure that human–wildlife conflict is treated with the seriousness of a ‘natural disaster’, and mandated a uniform compensation of Rs 10 lakh for every human death caused by wild animals.
Calling for a unified national strategy, the apex court said that fragmented and inconsistent responses across States have aggravated the suffering of affected families. It ruled that compensation must strictly follow the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s norms under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats.
Gold Rate
19 Oct 2025
The court underlined that uniformity is not optional but a constitutional requirement rooted in equality, fairness, and humane governance. Human–wildlife conflict, it said, is no longer an isolated local issue but a direct fallout of shrinking habitats, climate stress, and environmental degradation.
Noting that some States like Uttar Pradesh have already classified such incidents as natural disasters, the Supreme Court observed that this classification enables faster access to disaster relief funds, quicker administrative mobilisation, and clear accountability during crises. It urged all States to consider adopting the same.
The bench also criticised the frequent delays in compensation caused by poor coordination among Forest, Revenue, Disaster Management, Police, and Panchayati Raj departments. To fix this, it ordered every State to establish a swift-response, multi-departmental mechanism with clearly defined responsibilities to ensure timely relief to victims.
In a significant move, the court directed the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to prepare Model Guidelines for managing human–wildlife conflict within six months. These guidelines will then have mandatory adoption by all States within another six months, ushering in a nationwide framework for prevention, response, and compensation.
