CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has informed the Madras High Court that a committee has been constituted to frame the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for probing wildlife crimes with specific attention to the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) relating to videographing/recording digital seizures and also the provisions under e-Sakshya Management Rules, 2025. Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and chief wildlife warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra made the submission before the special bench for forest-related cases comprising justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy on Friday.
A report filed by him through special government pleader T Seenivasan stated that as per the directions of the court, a committee for drafting the SOP has been constituted with additional PCCF and director of Tamil Nadu Wildlife Crime Control Bureau V C Rahul, deputy director (administration) of the Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation (Research, Training and Education) Senbagapriya, district forest officer of Tenkasi Rajmohan and a legal expert as its members.
The committee is requested to prepare a draft SOP for investigation into forest and wildlife offence cases.. The committee can co-opt any suitable legal expert well-versed in the subject as a member. It is requested to submit the draft for review in three weeks, according to the report.
Advocates Chevanan Mohan, T Mohan, M Santhanaraman and Rahul Balaji have been assisting the court as amici curiae.