The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to urgently hear a plea filed by Wildlife SOS co-founder and CEO Kartick Satyanarayan, who is facing the possibility of arrest in a Madhya Pradesh case involving the alleged poaching of leopards.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant agreed to expedite the listing of two petitions filed by Satyanarayan after senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, appearing for him, urged the court to intervene against the threat of arrest.
Dave told the court that Satyanarayan and his non-profit organisation had been wrongly implicated in the case despite their work in wildlife conservation. He also argued that Satyanarayan’s failure to appear before the Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force (STSF) on a particular date should not be treated as evidence that he was avoiding the investigation or had gone into hiding.
The petitions were filed through advocate-on-record B Shravant Shanker.
The Supreme Court’s decision comes days after the Madhya Pradesh High Court withdrew interim protection from Satyanarayan. The high court had earlier protected him from coercive action but later concluded that he had not adequately cooperated with investigators.
In its September 7 order, the Gwalior bench said the interim protection granted on September 2 had been obtained without full disclosure of important records and circumstances. The court directed Satyanarayan to appear before the STSF on September 21 and cooperate with the investigation.
The state forest department had sought cancellation of the interim protection. It told the high court that Satyanarayan had allegedly failed to disclose a third summons issued on August 24 as well as an arrest warrant issued by a competent court on August 31.
According to the state, Satyanarayan had failed to join the investigation despite receiving three summonses. Investigators have described him as an absconding accused.
The case began after four alleged poachers were arrested on July 23 on the Gwalior-Agra highway with 10 leopard skins. The STSF subsequently launched an investigation into the alleged hunting, procurement and transportation of wildlife articles after the skins were traced to Madhya Pradesh.
The probe into the alleged killing of 10 leopards in the Sheopur and Morena districts has resulted in several arrests. Among those arrested are Bhagwan Singh, described by investigators as a wildlife trader associated with Wildlife SOS, and Wasim Akram, a director with the organisation.
Investigators have alleged that both men named Satyanarayan during questioning. Based on these developments, authorities have continued to investigate the alleged network involved in the hunting and movement of leopard skins.
Satyanarayan has approached the courts seeking the quashing of summonses issued to him and the Preliminary Offence Report in the case. Wildlife SOS has rejected the allegations against its officials and maintained that it has been cooperating with the investigation.
The state government, meanwhile, has maintained that the Madhya Pradesh investigation relates to the alleged killing of leopards and those suspected of facilitating or supporting the crime. A separate case in Uttar Pradesh concerns the alleged possession and transportation of the leopard skins.
With the Supreme Court now agreeing to hear Satyanarayan’s plea urgently, the case is set for another significant legal development. The court’s intervention could determine whether he receives protection from arrest while the investigation into the alleged leopard poaching continues.
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