HC Rejects Writ Seeking Probe into 84 Elephants’ Death

By Tahsin Taha

The High Court has directly rejected the writ petition investigating 84 elephants’ deaths in the Chittagong region. The court claimed that the writ was premature. Besides, a case has been filed without sending a legal notice to the concerned before filing a writ petition against the elephant. So the court dismissed it.

A writ petition was filed seeking the High Court directive to investigate the death of 84 elephants in the Chattogram region in the last 19 years.

On Tuesday (September 7), a bench of the High Court comprising Justice J.B.M. Hasan and Justice Khairul Alam passed the order. The petitioner’s lawyer Manoj Kumar Bhowmik appeared in the court that day. Deputy Attorney General Nur Ussadik represented the state.

Lawyer Manoj Kumar Bhowmik told reporters the petition had been rejected as premature by the High Court. In that respect, however, an appeal will be filed in this regard.

Attorney Manoj Kumar Bhowmik filed the writ petition in the High Court branch concerned on August 24, adding a report released on August 23 in a national newspaper.

In the writ petition, the Secretary for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the Chief Conservator of Forests, and the Conservator of Forests in Chittagong Region were made defendants.

According to the Forest Department, 106 elephants have died in the Chittagong Forest Circle (Cox’s Bazar, part of Bandarban, Chittagong city, and Rangamati) in the last 19 years. Of these, 32 died in accidents, 29 in illness, 22 in geriatric complications, 15 in electrocution, and eight in bullets.

Manoj Kumar Bhowmik, petitioner’s lawyer, said, “Hundreds of elephants have died in the Chittagong region in the last 19 years. In these, 22 died due to old age. An inquiry has been called for the remaining 84 cases.”

Source: Jago News24.com