Karnataka HC emphasises need for swift conclusion of Wildlife Protection Act cases
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court has emphasised the need for expeditious trials in cases under the Wildlife Protection Act, expressing concern over lengthy delays in bringing offenders to justice.
A single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna made this observation while rejecting a petition by Abdul Rehman and others, who faced charges for killing a spotted deer in the Bandipur forest in 2008.
Despite 16 years having passed, the trial against the accused is still ongoing.
The court criticised the prolonged proceedings, stating: "Why such a long time? Why do you take 16 years to conclude a forest offence? This is not correct if you book under the Forest Act for killing a deer in 2008 and it is still being tried in 2024. What is this?"
The bench attributed the delay to the accused evading court appearances, leading to repeated adjournments.
Rehman and his co-accused had sought quashing of the proceedings, arguing that they faced "double jeopardy", as a separate case related to the illegal possession of meat and unlicensed arms was filed against them in Kerala.
The court dismissed this argument, noting that the deer was killed in Karnataka, where the Wildlife Protection Act applies. The case in Kerala, involving the seizure of 35 kg of deer meat and weapons, falls under the Arms Act.
The bench refused to grant any relief to the petitioners, citing their repeated attempts to evade trial, and ordered the lower court to conclude the case within 12 weeks.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
