The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has dismissed the bail petition of three men accused of illegally venturing into a reserve forest in Kanniyakumari district and hunting monitor lizards. They are currently under judicial custody.
Justice G. Jayachandran dismissed the bail plea of Kannan, Subash and Balakrishnan. The State had strongly opposed the granting of bail to the trio. The accused had illegally entered the Boothapandi Reserve Forest in Kanniyakumari district, a biodiversity hotspot.
The State argued that the accused had entered the forest, a wildlife sanctuary, during the COVID-19 lockdown to hunt the animal and if they were to be released on bail, there was a possibility of their repeating the offence.
Monitor Lizards have been listed under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act. Schedule I and part II of Schedule II provide absolute protection to the listed plants and animal species under the Schedule and offences against them attract the highest penalties. The accused have been booked for offences under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and the Tamil Nadu Forest Act.
