Nagpur: After heated arguments over the bail application by Madhu Sawalkar, who allegedly harboured tiger poachers in Melghat, on Wednesday, district and additional sessions judge SD Jagmalani posted the matter for delivering the verdict on September 22.
Madhu is an accused in poaching of two tigers, two leopards and a sloth bear last year at Masondi in Ghatang range of East Melghat division, with five preliminary offence reports (PORs) against him. He allegedly informed poachers about the presence of tigers, harboured them and assisted in poaching for a commission.
His bail was rejected by the JMFC last month, and challenged by his lawyer Yogesh Satpute. On Wednesday, Satpute claimed there was no recovery from the accused and he was falsely implicated. Special counsel for forest department Kartik Shukul said the claims were false. He said the accused was aware that the carcass of a leopard was recovered from the spot.
Shukul also pointed out that after the poaching cases were cracked in June last year, Madhu had absconded, and could disappear if granted bail.
In the matter of whether Mamru and Chika were juvenile or not, chief judicial magistrate (CJM) AS Raut has scheduled the next hearing on October 1.
On Wednesday, counsel for accused PS Sontakke cited ossification tests to claim they were juveniles, and should be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act. However, Shukul said the test was conducted by a single doctor and not in the required format. He also highlighted the sub-registrar's testimony that the birth certificates issued by him were invalid.
Leopard skin case probe going awry
Though the Bhiwapur JMFC on Wednesday extended the forest custody remand (FCR) of accused Ranjitsingh Juni till September 20, the investigating officers are now trying to nail the informer who tipped off forest officials about the accused possessing a leopard skin. Instead of nailing kingpin Shravan Waghmare, residing on the fringes of Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary, the officials are harassing the whistle-blower. It is suspected that the second leopard skin found on the farm of Pushpa Visekar of Mokhada on Thursday evening might have been dumped by Waghmare before fleeing. Meanwhile, sanctuary officials are unable to confirm whether the skins are of leopards from the area. Accused Juni has denied the seized skins are from Sindewahi area, where he resides.
