Odisha to have special courts in all districts to try wildlife cases

A senior wildlife department official said Odisha is the first state in the country to have special courts for wildlife cases in all the districts

Published on: Oct 9, 2024, 21:24:50 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Odisha will designate judicial magistrates as special courts across all districts of the state for handling wildlife-related cases.

Officials said the special wildlife courts would lead to quicker convictions. (Representational image)

In a letter to the law department, Orissa high court special officer said that the courts of chief judicial magistrates (CJM) and additional chief judicial magistrates (ACJM) in each district will act as the special courts. However, in Sundargarh district, the CJM in Sundargarh and additional CJM in Rourkela will serve as special courts for wildlife cases.

A senior wildlife department official said Odisha is the first state in the country to have such special courts for wildlife cases in all the districts.

“The move to have special courts came after the state government through DGP (director general of police) submitted an affidavit before the Orissa high court in August 2022 for designating chief judicial magistrate/additional chief judicial magistrate in every district to deal with wildlife offence cases. Besides, a public prosecutor in each district will be entrusted with the handling of these cases,” said chief wildlife warden Susanta Nanda.

Nanda said the affidavit came in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Cuttack-based wildlife activist Gita Rout, seeking amendment to the Wildlife (Protection Act), 1972 on the lines of the Wildlife (Protection) (Assam Amendment) Act 2009 to add more teeth to wildlife crime control efforts, following a spate of unnatural death of elephants in the wild.

Replying to a question in the state assembly in August this year, state forest and environment minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia said more than 6,900 poachers were arrested for killing and trafficking of 2,869 wildlife animals during the past 10 years. He said following a spate of elephant poaching incidents, the state government formed a Joint Task Force (JTF) for the protection of wildlife, especially the elephants and big cats in September 2022. The JTF, headed by the chief conservator of forests (wildlife), has officials from both the Forest Department and Odisha police.

Officials said the special wildlife courts would lead to quicker convictions in such cases as most accused tend to get acquitted due to long-drawn trials.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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