#Wildlife Protection Act

The Karnataka High Court held that the gravity of offences under the Wildlife Protection Act and Karnataka Forest Act, carrying a maximum three-year sentence, cannot justify denying anticipatory bail - reaffirming Arnesh Kumar’s presumption against automatic custody. This reinforces that parallel BNS charges do not automatically override bail principles when no flight risk or evidence tampering is shown, benefiting rural accused in environmental cases.

The Kerala High Court refused pre-arrest bail to accused in a pangolin poaching case, holding that mere proximity to seized contraband without direct evidence linking them to the crime fails the threshold under Section 482 BNSS. This reinforces that anticipatory relief cannot be granted where the prosecution’s case rests on circumstantial inferences unsupported by concrete linkage, setting a critical precedent for wildlife crime investigations.

Bombay HC rules that farmers are entitled to compensation for crop damage caused by Schedule-II protected parrots, even if the species is not explicitly listed in the Government Resolution. The judgment interprets the Wildlife Protection Act to include such damages under compensation schemes, reinforcing farmers' rights against wildlife-induced losses.

The Himachal Pradesh High Court granted bail to an accused under the Wildlife Protection Act, holding that voluntary participation in investigation eliminates the need for custodial interrogation. This reinforces that pre-trial detention cannot be justified by mere suspicion, even in statutory offences with presumed gravity, affirming the presumption of innocence as a constitutional imperative.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court granted bail to an accused in a wildlife and arms case after prosecution seizure witnesses retracted or failed to substantiate key allegations. This reinforces that procedural fairness under BNSS Section 483 overrides the gravity of non-bailable offences when evidentiary support collapses, setting a critical precedent for undertrials facing multi-statute charges with weak forensic backing.

Madhya Pradesh High Court grants anticipatory bail where dual prosecutions arise from identical facts, emphasizing protection against multiplicity of proceedings under BNSS.

NGT directs action against 6 hotels operating without NBWL clearance in Sariska Tiger Sanctuary, mandates affidavit from Wildlife Department and monitoring mechanism for Eco-Sensitive Zones.