MP High Court Directs Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve Field Officer To Submit Action Taken Report On Unnatural Tiger Deaths

The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently directed the Field Officer of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to file a status report detailing the number of unnatural tiger deaths and the steps taken to prosecute responsible persons in a public interest litigation, raising concerns over the alarming rise in tiger deaths and incidents of poaching in the State.The division bench of Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf observed, "The Field Director, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is directed to file a status report with regard to the deaths of tigers that have been reported and also an action taken report in cases where unnatural deaths of tigers have been reported... The Field Director shall also indicate in the status report as to the steps taken to prosecute the persons who have been found responsible and action taken against them". The PIL, filed by Ajay Dubey, the Secretary and Founder member of environmental action group 'Prayatna', contended that out of the 785 tigers, as many as 54 have died in 2025 alone. The petition relied on an NDTV report of December 16, which stated that several tigers were dying under 'mysterious and often suspicious circumstances, raising serious questions about protection, enforcement, and accountability'.The petition further referred to the official data of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, showing that nearly 57% of the tigers' deaths were due to unnatural causes, including poaching, electrocution, or unexplained circumstances. In the recent hearing, Senior Advocate Aditya Sanghi for the petitioner claimed that since the last hearing on January 20, 2026, more tiger deaths were reported. Accordingly, the bench passed the aforementioned directions and listed the matter for February 25, 2026. Case Title: Ajay Dubey v Union of IndiaFor Petitioner: Senior Advocate Aditya Sanghi with Advocate Alka SinghFor Union: Additional Solicitor General Sunil Jain with Deputy Solicitor General S.M. GuruFor State: Deputy Advocate General Vivek Sharma Click here to read/download the Order

MP High Court Directs Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve Field Officer To Submit Action Taken Report On Unnatural Tiger Deaths

Jayanti Pahwa

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