Nagpur: In an important order with nationwide ramifications, Justice SB Shukre of the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Friday cancelled the bail granted by the sessions court to international tiger skin and body parts trader Suraj Pal alias Chacha.
While a detailed order is awaited, Justice Shukre read the operative order in the courtroom around 3 pm on Friday. Chacha was granted bail by district and sessions judge SD Jagmalani on July 30. Earlier, his bail application was rejected twice. His first bail was rejected on January 16, 2014, and another on April 17.
JMFCs, while rejecting Chacha's bail applications, had recorded that he was in a dominant position to influence witnesses and trial. He had even threatened another skin trader and transporter Sarju Bagdi, who is lodged in Nagpur Central Jail and had procured five tiger skins for Chacha from the region in May-June 2013.
The bail granted by sessions court was challenged by the state forest department in the high court. In subsequent hearings on the issue, the high court seemed to be very serious about poaching of tigers. Justice Shukre had even commented that poaching of tigers should not be treated as an ordinary offence.
A day before ordering cancellation of Chacha's bail, the defence counsel, referring to 2G case had argued that even in serious economic offences bail had been granted to the accused. To this, Justice Shukre had said that the crime committed by the accused was linked to environment and human existence.
Special counsel for the forest department Kartik Shukul had argued that Chacha was the kingpin and had international links. He was an old hand in wildlife crime and had been involved in the illegal trade since 1972. A dossier by CBI, called him the biggest supplier of tiger skins and body parts. He further argued that in the 2G case, the apex court had specifically recorded there was no evidence to show that the accused were tampering with evidence or witnesses.
In the present case, Suraj Pal using his dominant position in the illegal syndicate was threatening the witnesses. During a raid at his Delhi residence in September last, Rs 50 lakh cash and 18 tiger nails were found. Chacha's counsel R Mirza though denied the cash had anything to do with the illegal trade. The nails found were also fake, he told the court. A detailed order is scheduled to be delivered on Monday by Justice Shukre.
