Auli wedding venue not a meadow, HC told

DEHRADUN: In a major relief to state government and South Africa-based tycoons Gupta brothers, Wadia Institute of Himalyan Studies and GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development in their replies to Uttarakhand high court maintained that the wedding of Gupta brothers’ sons took place near Cliff Top hotel in Auli which is on the slope (north-facing) of the hill.

Reports submitted by them stated that that the venue is a grazing land located below tree line and hence cannot be termed as meadow.

The replies come after HC , in August this year, had sought a report on Auli’s biodiversity .

Last year, HC had banned night stay in Himalayan meadows. Rakshit Joshi, lawyer and petitioner in the case, told TOI that both institutions submitted almost similar responses in HC.