The adivasi communities of Nagarhole have had a long standing struggle against the systematic denial of rights and the displacement of villages from the Nagarhole National Park, justified in the name of wildlife conservation. Ironically, the very forestland that the adivasi communities were ousted from, was leased out for tourism development to the Taj Group of Hotels by the the Government of Karnataka.
In protest, the adivasi communities filed a writ petition challenging the privilege given to the tourism industry in the High Court of Karnataka. After many twists and turns, the lease of forest land in the Rajiv Gandhi National Park given to the Taj Groups of Hotels for construction of a resort was denied clearance by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and it was struck down.
This publication documents the story of the monumental event in the defence of rights of the adivasi communities and the struggle against corporate takeover of commons such as forestlands.