Supreme Court upholds prohibition of commercial activity in fragile Segur plateau
The Supreme Court of India has upheld a ban on commercial activity within the ecologically sensitive Segur plateau, which serves as a vital elephant corridor. The court emphasized the need to protect the environment while allowing the state to acquire land for conservation, provided it does not displace tribal communities.
Why it matters
This ruling reinforces the legal protection of critical wildlife habitats against commercial encroachment, setting a precedent for balancing development with ecological preservation.
A Supreme Court Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant declined on Monday to provide any leeway for commercial activity in the ecologically fragile Segur plateau in the Nilgiris.
The area is an elephant corridor situated in the Masinagudi area near the Mudumalai National Park near the plateau.
Resort owners and others, represented by senior advocates Salman Khursheed, Shoeb Alam and P.B. Suresh, had approached the Supreme Court against a Madras High Court order in 2025, which had confirmed a Committee’s finding that their purchase of land in the plateau area was null and void.
The court, while banning commercial activity, empathised with people who had lost their livelihood.
Senior advocate Haripriya Padmanabhan, Additional Advocate General for Tamil Nadu, said the State was not allowing any commercial activity or encroachments in the area.
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