Daijiworld Media Network - Nagpur
Nagpur, Jan 24: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of an alarming rise in tiger deaths in Maharashtra and directed that a public interest litigation (PIL) be registered to examine systemic lapses in wildlife protection and investigation mechanisms.
The court acted after a news report highlighted the deaths of four tigers in Vidarbha between December 31, 2025 and January 11, 2026. It was pointed out that 11 tigers had died in the first 22 days of 2025 alone, with Maharashtra ranking second nationally in tiger fatalities after Madhya Pradesh last year.
Observing that several deaths had occurred under disturbing circumstances, including electrocution due to illegally erected live electric fencing and suspected road accidents, the bench said the pattern indicated a worsening human–wildlife conflict. The judges expressed concern over gaps in enforcement, investigation and accountability.
A division bench comprising justices Anil Kilor and Raj D Wakode appointed advocate Chaitanya Dhruv as amicus curiae to draft and argue the suo motu PIL.
As per the report cited by the court, a tigress was found dead on December 31, 2025, in Selu-Murpad village near the Bor Tiger Reserve in Wardha district. The animal was suspected to have been electrocuted after coming into contact with an illegal live fence around a farm, after which the carcass was allegedly dumped in a water body under a bridge. The court noted that more than 13 days later, no arrests had been made.
On January 7, two tiger cubs aged eight to nine months were found dead in the Deolapar area under the Pench Tiger Reserve. While forest officials initially attributed the deaths to a territorial fight, the report suggested that the cubs may have been killed after being hit by a vehicle.
Another incident was reported on January 11, when a two-year-old tigress was found dead in the Irai river near Chincholi village in Chandrapur district, close to the Tadoba–Andhari Tiger Reserve. The death is suspected to have been caused by electrocution from an illegal fence, followed by dumping of the carcass to destroy evidence.
The bench also raised questions regarding the role of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which has an office in Nagpur, and sought clarity on whether information on such incidents was being promptly shared and whether investigations were being pursued with due seriousness.
The suo motu PIL will examine alleged failures in wildlife protection, the handling and investigation of tiger deaths, and the broader issue of escalating human–tiger conflict in Maharashtra. The matter has been posted for further hearing on March 18.
The court’s intervention comes amid growing concern over unnatural big cat deaths in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, where a Special Investigation Team has been constituted to probe a spate of tiger and leopard deaths following a PIL. According to the petition, 54 tigers died in Madhya Pradesh in 2025, the highest number recorded since the launch of Project Tiger in 1973.
As per the latest tiger census, Maharashtra has a tiger population of 444, ranking fourth in the country after Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. While the state has seen a sharp rise in tiger numbers from 101 in 2000, the increase has also been accompanied by a surge in human–tiger conflict incidents.