India, July 21 -- The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a Madras high court order directing the removal of all commercial activity from a designated elephant corridor in Tamil Nadu's Western Ghats, while permitting affected persons to seek an alternative source of livelihood from the state government.

Hearing petitions challenging the September 2025 order of the Madras HC, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, "We will not allow elephant corridors to be encroached." The corridor is considered crucial for the movement of elephants between the Segur Plateau and the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

Dismissing appeals filed by resort owners and other commercial establishments operating in the area, the bench, also comprising justic...