Tehsil officer in Guj gets 3-year jail in Nilgai hunting case

A tehsil officer in Gujarat's Kheda district was sent to three years in jail by a court today in connection with the killing of a Nilgai near Khokhrawara village nearly 10 years ago.
The court of additional sessions judge V D Parmar found deputy mamlatdar Habib Malek (of Kathlal tehsil) guilty under section 30 of Arms Act.
Inayat Khokhar was also convicted under various sections of Wildlife Protection Act for killing the protected animal, government pleader Dhaval Patel said.
According to prosecution, Malek had provided his licenced gun to Khokhar, who was known to him, which the latter used for shooting dead the Nilgai (blue bull) on July 22, 2007.

Section 30 of Arms Act prohibits the use of a licenced gun for hunting among other restrictions on its usage.
An FIR was registered against the duo under relevant sections of Arms Act and Wildlife Protection Act at Kathlal police station on the day of the incident.

The court also relied on the eye-witness account of a police constable of Khokhrawara village who had found the carcass of the blue bull, besides an abandoned gun at the spot, Patel said.
As per the FIR, Khokhar fled soon after killing the nilgai leaving behind the gun, after he spotted the constable approaching him on the day of the incident.

The court also took into consideration the evidences provided by Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) and the district collectorate, which proved that the licenced gun used for hunting belonged to Malek, the pleader said.
After Malek's name was mentioned in the FIR, he was suspended by the district collector, but was allowed to resume duty on a conditional appointment.