Gujarat High Court Criticizes Forest and Railway Officials Over Lion Deaths from Train Collisions
The Gujarat High Court has recently expressed strong disapproval of the State Forest Department and Railway authorities for their inadequate measures to prevent lion deaths caused by train accidents. The Court, led by Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi, found that the officials had failed to implement effective strategies to address the issue despite earlier directives.
The Court had previously ordered the authorities to take decisive actions to prevent such incidents. However, recent reports indicated that two more lion deaths occurred last month, involving a lioness, two cubs, and a lion. The Court highlighted that these incidents occurred within a short span of one week, pointing to a significant lapse in the approach of both the Railway and Forest Department officials.
In an order dated August 9, the Court noted the Chief Conservator of Forests’ lack of concrete proposals to prevent future incidents, describing his response as an attempt to avoid addressing the earlier directives. The Court also reviewed a report from an amicus curiae which pointed out the absence of proper fencing along the railway tracks, a critical measure to prevent lions from straying onto the tracks.
The Court criticized both the Railways and the Forest Department for not implementing preventive measures, such as reducing train speeds or installing barriers. This inaction, the Court stated, resulted in further lion fatalities.
One of the incidents involved the death of a lioness and two cubs on July 18, and another involved two lions injured in a collision with the Mahuva-Surat Passenger Train around July 24-25, leading to one lion’s death.
In response to the continued lack of action, the Court issued a show-cause notice to the forest department and mandated that these issues be addressed by the High-Level Committee formed following a previous Court order on April 23. The Court also dismissed the Railways’ explanation that most lion deaths occur while chasing prey as insufficient.
The case will continue to be reviewed, with the next hearing scheduled for August 30. Advocates representing various parties, including the State of Gujarat and the Union of India, were present in the hearing, along with the amicus curiae Advocate DM Devnani.
(With inputs from agency)
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