Kerala high court stays proceedings against Mohanlal in ivory possession case

The Kerala high court has stayed trial proceedings in the ivory possession case against actor Mohanlal for six months. The court has ordered the actor to appear before the trial court on November 3. The case dates back to 2011 when elephant tusks were found at the actor's residence. The forest department had issued an ownership certificate for the tusks, which was later challenged. In 2020, the state government attempted to withdraw prosecution but was denied by the magistrate court.

The Kerala high court on Monday stayed trial proceedings in the ivory possession case against actor Mohanlal in a first-class magistrate court for six months.

Mohanlal (HT Achives)

A single bench of justice PV Kunhikrishnan granted an interim stay of proceedings before Judicial First Class Magistrate court at Perumbavoor, for a period of six months. The court has further ordered the actor to appear before the trial court on November 3.

In July 2011, the Income Tax department had found elephant tusks at the residence of the Malayalam superstar. Subsequently, during a search by forest officials, four elephant tusks at the actor’s home in Kochi in December 2011. The forest department then booked a case against the actor and others for illegal possession of the tusks under the Wild Life Protection Act (1972).

However, five years later, the forest department issued an ownership certificate for the tusks to the actor, which was challenged by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, stating that it was given in violation of the provisions of the 1972 Act. Later in 2019, a charge sheet was filed against the actor and others, in the case.

The petition to withdraw prosecution was, however, denied by the Perumbavoor magistrate court on August 17, which held that the validity of the ownership certificate issued to the actor was under challenge before the division bench of the HC. It also said that there was no gazette notification in this case and hence the alleged certificate of ownership of the tusks has no legal sanctity.