Forest officials were coerced into acting in favour of Mohanlal in ivory case, says former Chief Wildlife Warden

Kerala Forest officials were reportedly coerced by a elder authorities authoritative into favouring histrion Mohanlal successful the amerciable ivory possession lawsuit and withdrawing the chargesheet against him, revealed erstwhile Forest officials.

“The past Kerala Chief Secretary, Tom Jose, asked maine to assistance Mr. Mohanlal successful the case. The authoritative shouted astatine maine erstwhile I refused to oblige and stated that lone the legally permissible measures would beryllium adopted successful the case,” Surendrakumar, erstwhile Chief Wildlife Warden, Kerala, told The Hindu.

However, Mr. Jose said helium was incapable to recollect immoderate specified incident. “If the Forest serviceman has immoderate impervious to substantiate his allegation, fto him travel up with it,” Mr. Jose said.

‘In actor’s favour’

Mr. Surendrakumar said helium had informed the section that the process followed to contented the ownership certificates for the ivory, recovered successful possession of the histrion during an income taxation raid, was flawed. The section did not probe the way done which the ivory reached Mr. Mohanlal, arsenic mandated by the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It was decided successful favour of the histrion aft signaling his statements, helium said.

Incidentally, a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court, consisting of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Jobin Sebastian, had connected Friday struck down the ownership certificate issued to the histrion and ordered that the process followed by the section successful the lawsuit was void ab initio. “Mr. Mohanlal did not pass the section astir the possession of the ivory oregon question ownership certificates till the income taxation raids astatine his residence, revealing the amerciable possession of the wildlife trophy. The Forest authoritative who conducted the inquiry, a prerequisite for issuing the ownership certificate, flouted the mandatory procedures. I had noted the violations successful the files and aboriginal included them successful an affidavit filed earlier the High Court,” helium said.

Minister’s support

Mr. Surendrakumar said the past Forest Minister, K. Raju, supported him and asked him to adhere to the rules and regulations.

A erstwhile Divisional Forest Officer of Malayattoor Forest Division, who had handled the filing of chargesheet successful the wildlife transgression lawsuit against the actor, confirmed that the authorities had issued a missive asking the officials not to proceed against him. However, the section charged the lawsuit based connected the disposable facts, said the authoritative connected information of anonymity.

The wildlife transgression cases against the histrion are pending earlier assorted courts.