Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Uttarakhand High Court Reserves Verdict on Proposed Haldwani Relocation
The Uttarakhand High Court may move from Nainital to a new site near Haldwani.
A lawyer and activist named Raman Shah challenged the approval for using that land.
He says the land is reserved forest.
He says officials must follow special forest-protection rules before changing how the land is used.
He also says the site may be part of an elephant corridor.
Building a large court complex there could affect forests, animals and nature, he argued.
He asked the court to examine how the land was selected.
The judges have heard the arguments and will announce their decision later.
The Uttarakhand High Court reserved its verdict on a petition challenging approval for land proposed for a new complex.
The court is proposed to move from Nainital to the Bel Baba area of Haldwani.
Petitioner Raman Shah said the identified land is reserved forest and cannot be diverted without following forest-conservation law.
He also claimed the site lies in an elephant corridor and an environmentally sensitive area.
Shah argued that any relocation should consider Uttarakhand’s hill-state purpose and explore a suitable hill-region site.
- Who
- The Uttarakhand High Court, petitioner Raman Shah, the state government and other parties.
- What
- The court reserved its verdict on a petition challenging administrative approval for land proposed for a new high court complex.
- When
- The verdict was reserved after the court heard arguments; no decision date was stated.
- Where
- The proposed complex is in the Bel Baba area of Haldwani, while the existing high court is in Nainital.
- Why
- The petition alleges that the proposed site is reserved forest, may lie in an elephant corridor and requires compliance with forest-conservation law.
- Existing location
- Nainital
- Proposed location
- Bel Baba area of Haldwani
- Bench
- Justices Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Pankaj Purohit
- Petitioner
- Advocate and activist Raman Shah
- Main legal concern
- Whether reserved forest land can be used for high court construction without required approvals
- Environmental concern
- The petitioner claimed the site falls within an elephant corridor and an environmentally sensitive area
- Related law
- Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980