WPSI’s Legal Programme
WPSI’s
Legal
Programme aims at strengthening wildlife laws and their implementation
through research and advocacy. At the policy level, WPSI engages and
interacts with Government ministries and departments, to improve
wildlife law and its implementation. At the ground level, WPSI provides
wildlife law enforcement training to Forest Department and Police
personnel, as part of its enforcement workshops.
From its
inception, WPSI has also involved itself in the court process. The
Indian judiciary has been a pillar of strength, and often the last
resort for conservationists fighting the myriad threats facing India’s
forests and wildlife. WPSI’s involvement in the judicial process can be
broadly divided under two heads:
Wildlife Crime:
Under
Indian law, only the State is authorised to prosecute criminals so WPSI
provides Public Prosecutors with support and assistance. In an effort
to economise and improve our legal focus, WPSI is selective about
interventions in the court process. In general, interventions are
determined by the strategic importance of the offender involved.
Exceptions are made when enforcement authorities request support for
the prosecution of cases. WPSI’s level of involvement varies from case
to case. WPSI Lawyers attend hearings and keep track of the
developments, assist public prosecutors with research and advice, and
in some cases are appointed Special Public Prosecutors by the concerned
enforcement agency.
WPSI’s lawyer in Katni, Ms Manjula
Shrivastava, deserves special mention. In 2008 alone, she was
instrumental in the conviction of a total of 43 wildlife criminals,
including 5 cases involving Schedule I species.
Public
Interest Litigations:
WPSI
has filed cases in State High Courts and the Supreme Court of India on
a number of conservation issues, including habitat protection and the
implementation of wildlife laws.
Resources on Wildlife Law:
Over
the coming years, the Legal Programme is committed to developing
quality analysis and commentary on wildlife law and policy. The aim is
to provide these resources to the public for free so they can be used
by officers of the forest department, state public prosecutors, and
members of the concerned public. As a start, the following resources
may be useful for interested persons:
Offences under the Wild Life
(Protection) Act, 1972 – A discussion of various
offences under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 with reference to
case law. Please send any
queries relating to wildlife law or the WPSI Legal Programme to avinash@wpsi-india.org
Click here
to view brief details of some of our important cases.
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