HC asks Maha govt to reply on PIL seeking SIT probe into death of protected animals

The Bombay High Court Wednesday sought the Maharashtra government's reply on a PIL, which cited the recent killing of tigress Avni and sought an SIT probe into deaths of protected animals in Maharashtra and Goa in the last 10 years.

A bench of Justices Ranjit More and Revati Mohite-Dere posted the plea for further hearing on January 7 next year.

The public interest litigation was filed by local activist Nitin Deshpande, through his lawyers Ashish Mehta and Sujay Kantawala.

The petitioner has sought that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), under the supervision of a retired judge of the Bombay High Court, be constituted to ascertain causes, and probe all incidents of unnatural deaths of Schedule-I protected animals in Maharashtra and Goa in the last 10 years.

The tigress, T1 as she was officially known, was shot dead by a sharp shooter hired by the forest authorities in Yavatmal in Maharashtra in November this year following a massive search operation launched by the forest officials.

Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act lists down various animal and bird species, and prohibits one from hunting or killing such animals.