Chand and dozens of associates and relatives were considered responsible for the killing of all of the tigers and leopards in the world-famous Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.
During a lifetime of poaching, Chand, 55, has been accused of killing more than 250 tigers, 2,000 leopards, 5,000 otters, 20,000 wild cats, 20,000 wild foxes, and many other wild animals. On July 16, a Delhi court refused to apply an organized crime law against Chand, clearing the last barrier to his freedom. The court agreed with Chand, on technical grounds, that he could not serve further time in prison under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Only those with two past convictions can be charged under the MCOCA law, and until his imprisonment, Chand had always secured bail in other cases brought against him under the Wildlife Protection Act. The maximum punishment for poaching under the Wildlife Protection Act is seven years. Conviction under MCOCA can entail life imprisonment.
Known to have entered the illegal wildlife trade at 13, Chand usually operated out of the busy Sadar Bazar market in Delhi. He was arrested for the first time at the age of 18, and many times after that, but evaded punishment, despite being accused in at least 50 cases of killing and cruelty to animals. After the stunning discovery that every tiger and leopard had been poached from the Sariska reserve, Chand was arrested in June 2005 in a dramatic operation by Delhi police, and finally convicted by the Rajasthan High Court. During his subsequent interrogation by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Chand provided evidence of the existence of an organized crime syndicate engaged in large-scale operations across many wildlife sanctuaries in India.
Chand filed a petition challenging his conviction in 2010, but received a strong rebuke from the Supreme Court: “You are selling the skin of tigers and leopards. Tomorrow, you would even sell human skin. In this way, the population of tigers and leopards would be wiped out in the country."
Author: Jennifer Scarlott, Source: Times of India, NDTV, WPSI.
