Workshop to Sensitise Judges and Prosecuting Officers about Wildlife Protection Laws Held in Uttarakhand
WTI Advocate Abhimanyu Mann conducts a session on the Wild Life (Protection) Act during the join workshop at UJALA, Nainital
Bhowali, Nainital, January 25, 2017: The Uttarakhand Animal Welfare Board (UAWB) and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) last month organised a joint workshop to sensitise judges and prosecuting officers about animal protection laws and in particular, the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972. The workshop, the first of its kind in Uttarakhand, was held in two phases from December 8-9 and 22-23 at the Uttarakhand Judicial and Legal Academy (UJALA), Nainital. Twenty-eight trial court judges and 30 prosecuting officers from across the state participated.
The proper implementation of wildlife and environment-related laws depends on the perception and understanding of officers of the court.
Members of the judiciary play a vital role in championing the cause of biodiversity conservation. The proper implementation of wildlife and environment-related laws depends on the perception and understanding of these officers of the court, be it a matter of building a robust prosecution or arriving at an enlightened verdict. The joint workshop, therefore, aimed to provide a much needed orientation on the status of forest and wildlife-related legislations and the enforcement of these laws in India.
The workshop was organised under the guidance of the Director, Additional Director and Assistant Director of UJALA. Advocates Abhimanyu Mann and Yash Kumar Soni from WTI conducted sessions on the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 and discussed significant case laws during the two phases. Other resource persons who assisted in organising the event and/or led various sessions included Mr Rajiv Gupta IAS, Ex Principal Secretary, Home & FRDC, Government of Uttarakhand; Dr Ashutosh Joshi PVS, OIC, UAWB, Advocate NG Jayasimha, Member – Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI); Advocate Anjali Sharma, Member – AWBI; and Mrs. Gauri Maulekhi Co-opted Member – AWBI/ Advisor to the Hon’ble Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development, Government of India.
