Shimla, April 18 -- The Himachal Pradesh High Court has quashed the Centre's 2022 notification declaring an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Col. Sherjung National Park, citing failure to follow mandatory procedures and guidelines.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Ranjan Sharma passed the order on April 16, 2026, while allowing a petition filed by Gram Panchayats Bhatanwali, Patalia, and Behral.

The petitioners had challenged the notification dated January 13, 2022, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, arguing that several villages were included in the ESZ without adherence to due process and without valid recommendations from competent authorities.

The court observed that t...