In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the petition challenging the order to shoot the man-eating leopard on sight in Rajasthan's Udaipur. The petitioner argued before the bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice KV Vishwanathan and Justice Prashant Mishra that how will the man-eating leopard be identified? He said the order will also put tigers at risk and people are roaming in the forest with guns while as per law they should keep tranquilizer guns.
Plea filed in SC over shoot at sight order
The petitioner added that the court should ensure through its order that leopards are not killed. On Monday, a 55-year-old woman was killed in a leopard attack in Udaipur district of Rajasthan on Tuesday, with the number rising to seven, forest officials said.
Forest authorities issue order to shoot down leopard
Alarmed over the rising number of deaths due to leopard attacks, the forest authorities issued an order on Tuesday to shoot down the man-eater leopard after identification.
The order came after Kamla Kanwar was mauled to death on Tuesday outside her house in Suawaton ka Gudha when she was feeding fodder to livestock.
Following the order issued by Principal Chief Wildlife Warden (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife Warden (CWWF) Pavan Kumar Upadhyay, teams of the forest department along with the police and army have surrounded the area where the leopard is moving around.
"Orders have been given to shoot the man-eater leopard in Udaipur," Upadhyay said.
Authorities place cages to catch leopards
Concerned over the leopard attack and growing resentment among the locals, the forest authorities placed cages, installed camera traps and sought help from the Indian Army to track the leopard last month. As a result, three leopards were captured from different places.
Following repeated incidents, officials of the forest department from Udaipur sought permission from the head office to kill the animal.
