The second petition is by a conglomerate of wildlife organisations — Wildlife First, Nature Conservation Society and Tiger Research and Conservation Trust. Like BNHS, they have challenged the legal and constitutional validity of the Act. They go on to say that it violates the fundamental rights of the petitioners guaranteed under Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution as it is against principles of sustainable development.

However, tribal groups see this as an attempt to sabotage the Act. “What we have is a planned, orchestrated offensive against the Forest Rights Act, using the courts as a platform. This is not new. We have time and again seen this group, a handful of hardline conservationists, take advantage of their access to money, power and the bureaucracy to block and sabotage the struggle for forest rights,” said a release from the Campaign for Survival and Dignity.