KOCHI: A Division Bench of the High Court on Tuesday directed actor Mohanlal and Principal Secretary, Forest and Wildlife, to file an affidavit within two weeks, in response to a petition seeking to quash the ownership certificate given by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Wildlife for the ivory artefacts in the actor’s possession.
The Bench issued the order on the petition filed by James Mathew, former Forest officer, seeking a probe by a special team headed by an Additional Director General of Police into the issue of the grant of ownership certificate to the actor.
The petitioner pointed out that two pairs of elephant tusks and 13 ivory artefacts were seized from the actor’s residence in Kochi on July 22, 2011. Later, the Forest department had registered a case against the actor and three others before the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Perumbavoor. The petitioner submitted that the actor, at the time of the seizure, did not have a certificate of possession as mandated under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The certificate was granted later by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest in collusion with the actor. The petitioner contended that the grant of certificate of possession was illegal and in violation of the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act.
No case was registered for the illegal possession of 13 ivory artefacts found at the actor’s residence, submitted the petitioner.
Case history
It was on July 22, 2011, that the I-T dept seized two pairs of elephant tusks and 13 ivory artefacts from actor Mohanlal’s residence in Kochi. Later, the Forest dept registered a case against the actor and 3 others.