Mumbai, Jun 23 A court here has refused bail to a 36-year-old man, arrested in connection with an elephant tusk trading racket, noting that trafficking in wild animals is rising and such offenses need to be looked at seriously.
In the order passed on Monday, Additional Sessions Judge Nitin Jiwane said bail can not be granted only on the ground that a charge-sheet has been filed in the case.
"Despite the best efforts of the governments across the world, poaching of wildlife....is still growing, and some of the endangered species are on the verge of extinction," the judge remarked.
These offences need to be treated on a different footing than the regular offences under the Indian Penal Code, he said.
Acting on a tip-off about a group attempting to sell elephant tusks, police laid a trap on April 23, 2026, and recovered two massive elephant tusks weighing 11 kg and 20.6 kg from a hotel room in Chembur, the police said.
Four persons, including applicant Sandeep Bidlaan, were arrested from the spot.
Advocate Sushila Kanojia, representing Bidlaan, argued that he was falsely implicated and was merely present in the hotel room. The investigating officer acknowledged that the tusks belonged to Narendra Sakpal, who was arrested later, the lawyer said.
Public prosecutor Ramesh Siroya opposed the bail application, stating that Bidlaan's release would pose a danger to the safety of the secret informants and witnesses in the case.
The judge, looking at the seriousness of the offence and the nature of the crime, ruled that it was not a fit case for granting bail to the accused.
