SC issues notice to Maha officials over Avni killing
INSTRUCTION TO NOT CELEBRATE THE KILLING OF THE TIGRESS WERE VIOLATED, SAID THE COURT
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued contempt notices to top officials in the Maharashtra government for violating its order to declare no reward for killing the man-eater tigress Avni and to not celebrate the killing. The tigress was shot dead by a hunter during a late night operation in November 2018.
Raising questions over the procedure followed in shooting down the tigress, a petition filed by wildlife enthusiast Sangeeta Dogra claimed that there is enough in the post-mortem report of the tigress to show that she was not a man-eater.
Dogra further stated in her petition that on September 11, 2018, the Supreme Court while permitting Avni (T-1) to be put down, said: “The efforts to tranquilize and capture T-1 tigress will be continued and if unsuccessful, it shall be eliminated by shooting to avoid any further loss of human life. The Chief Conservator of Forests, Yavatmal is authorized to carry out the above order. He shall not declare any prize or any similar incentive for the responsible person.”
Despite the clear instruction by the court, Dogra claimed in her contempt petition that within days of the killing, the villagers arranged a felicitation function on November 14, 2018 and presented a silver statue of the tigress along with a cash reward to the shooter involved in the killing.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde issued notice on the contempt petition to Principal Secretary, Maharashtra, Vikas Kharge, Principal Chief Conservator Forests (Nagpur), Deputy Conservator of Forests, Pandharkawada district, and Member Secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority.
“First we need to examine your plea that the dead tigress was not a man-eater. Second, they (contemnors) flouted our order that they shall not celebrate or reward anyone for killing the tigress. We will issue notice as our order is clearly violated,” said the bench, which also comprised justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.
Dogra claimed that the postmortem report did not indicate presence of nails, hair or teeth of human beings in the stomach. According to her, if the dead tigress was a man-eater, these would have been found because they remain in a predator’s stomach for around six months. The bench asked Dogra to submit proof to this effect and adjourned the matter after two weeks.
The tigress is believed to have killed at least 13 villagers in Maharashtra’s Pandharkawda and Ralegoan regions of Yavatmal district for over one-and-ahalf years. The six-year-old tigress was shot dead after a massive hunt and her two cubs, relocated.