BHUBANESWAR: Acting on the direction of the Orissa High Court, the state government has designated courts of chief judicial magistrates (CJM) in all districts and the court of additional CJM, Rourkela, as special courts to adjudicate wildlife-related offences in the state.
Odisha has become the first state in the country to designate judicial magistrates as special courts for handling wildlife-related cases.
The government had submitted an affidavit on setting up special courts for wildlife cases in the high court through the director general of police in August 2022. The affidavit was filed in response to a PIL filed by wildlife activist Gita Rout following a spate of elephant deaths in the state.
During hearing on the PIL, the high court had called for an affidavit from the DGP on steps that needed to be taken to tackle the problem. The DGP was asked to propose measures for expediting investigation in wildlife crime, timely filing of charge sheets and speedy conduct of trials.
The high court had also called for concerted efforts to activate the law enforcement machinery for strict enforcement of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and all other related laws including the Arms Act in cases pertaining to elephant poaching in the state.