CUDDALORE: Two men, hailing from the Narikurava community, were sentenced to three years in jail for hunting three monitor lizards and 11 cranes, on Thursday. The District Judicial Magistrate Court, which heard the case, also fined both of Rs 20,000 each.
According to sources from the forest department in Kattumannarkoil, based on a tip-off, a team led by the then Chidambaram Range Forest Officer, Senthil Kumar, inspected the area near the West Bund of the Veeranam lake, on October 9, 2021.
They apprehended A Chandran (43) and A Babu (58), both residents of Kundaveli village near Meensurutti in Ariyalur district, and found them in possession of carcasses of three monitor lizards and 11 cranes, which they had hunted for flesh. Subsequently, they were charged under the Forest Conservation Act and arrested.
The trial has been taking place at the District Judicial Magistrate Court in Kattumannarkoil. On Thursday, the verdict was pronounced by E Manikandan, who sentenced both individuals to three years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 each. Following the hearing, both were lodged in Cuddalore Central Prison.