New Delhi: Ashok Nath, a notorious wildlife trader was sentenced to three years and six months of rigorous imprisonment today within a record time. Sanjeev Jain, the Addl. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, sentenced Nath for illegal trading of three leopard skins under section 51 (1 A) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. This is the first wildlife case in which the court took less than a year in handing out its judgment. He got arrested on May 20, 2005 in New Delhi. The convict belongs to the ‘Bawaria community’, a hunting tribe from Bijnore in western Uttar Pradesh.

Referring to the speedy trial, Ashok Kumar, Vice Chairman of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said that the judiciary has begun taking wildlife crime seriously.

“Most cases relating to wildlife offences in India take a decade or more to be decided. The biggest wildlife seizure in the history of India, which took place in August 1993, is still in court and the trial is proceeding at a slow pace.”

According to Saurabh Sharma, Advocate and Legal Consultant of the WTI, “This fast trial will serve as a deterrence for offenders involved in wildlife crime. The role of the court is laudable as conviction in wildlife offences take a lot of time due to the lengthy procedures followed by the courts in the country.”

In another trial involving the Bollywood actor Salman Khan for his alleged role in a black buck hunting case, even after seven years, the case is still pending. This case first came up for hearing in Jodhpur, in 1998.

This decision by the trial court within a record time in Delhi is likely to set an example for the judiciary in the country to translate all pending wildlife cases to a speedy conclusion.