Bengaluru, April 16 -- The Karnataka High Court yesterday declined to impose an immediate ban on tiger safaris in the State.

However, it directed the State Government to file a reply to a plea seeking a permanent ban on tiger safaris within critical tiger habitats on the ground that such activities contravene established conservation norms.

A Bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha sought a detailed affidavit clarifying the demarcation of core, buffer and tourism zones, the exact locations where safaris are being conducted and maps indicating these zones.

The matter arises from a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by V. Ravi Kumar calling for a ban on such safaris. The petitioner relied on the landmark Supreme...