Mumbai Court Denies Bail Elephant Tusk Trafficking Case

A Mumbai sessions court on Monday denied bail to a 36-year-old man arrested over the illegal sale of elephant tusks, holding that the offence must be treated on an entirely different footing than regular penal crimes.

“Despite the best efforts of the governments across the world, poaching of wildlife in the injured animals is still growing, and some of the endangered species are on the verge of extinction, and therefore, the offences under the said Act need to be looked at seriously, and therefore, the punishment provided is a severe one for deterrent effect,” Additional Sessions Judge Nitin Jivane said.

The Chembur police arrested Sandeep Bidlaan and three others on April 22 following information about the sale of elephant tusks. Using a decoy, the police team reached a hotel room, where the accused arrived and were caught with two large elephant tusks, one weighing 11 kg and the other 20.6 kg. The police later arrested a fifth person, alleging that he had obtained the tusks.

Apart from charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the accused have also been booked under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

The police also said poaching of an endangered species is a serious offence.

The court agreed, stating that given the seriousness of the crime and the need to deter others, the completion of the investigation and the filing of the chargesheet are not grounds to release the accused.