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

ByDebabrata Mohanty
Oct 09, 2024 09:24 PM IST

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

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)
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.

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