Cuttack, Nov 20: The Orissa High Court on Tuesday initiated suo motu proceeding on the death of three elephants due to electrocution in poachers’ trap at Naktideul under Rairakhol forest division of Sambalpur district and directed personal appearance of PCCF-Wildlife on November 26.
The division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho was hearing the matter.
“The PCCF-Wildlife is required to be present online and furnish to the court the number of deaths of elephants in Odisha reported from 2020 till date disclosing the known reasons for their deaths by way of an affidavit. He shall also disclose in the affidavit the steps taken to investigate the cause behind the death of the three elephants reported in today’s (November 19) newspapers,” the bench ruled.
The bench posted the matter to 2 pm on November 26 for further consideration while directing to list along with it the three PILs highlighting the deaths of elephants that are pending in the court.
Notably, forest officials on Tuesday arrested two persons – Sanjit Kumar Behera (50) and Gopi Basantra (18) of Ghosramal - for their involvement in the electrocution death of three elephants in Rairakhol.
The three elephants, two females and a calf, were electrocuted to death after coming in contact with an electric trap laid by poachers to hunt wild boars on the wee hours of Monday.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Rairakhol Arabinda Mohanty said, two forest guards have also been suspended in connection with the incident
