Pursuant to this seizure, Rumarsan's house was raided and two more animal skins were recovered from his house on the next day
A Delhi court has sentenced two persons for three years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for smuggling leopard skins in East Delhi's Kondli area.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ajay Garg convicted Balwant Rai and Rumaran after they were found in the possession of two uncured leopard skins, one uncured baby leopard skin, and one uncured leopard cat skin, which they had on their persons for the purpose of trade.
According to the case, police received a tip-off on April 12, 1997 that a person was coming in a blue Maruti van with a tiger skin and heading to Noida to supply it. One tiger skin wrapped in a bedsheet was seized from Balwant Rai. Following his direction, his relative Rumaran was arrested from the road with a jute bag containing another tiger skin.
Pursuant to this seizure, Rumarsan's house was raided and two more animal skins were recovered from his house on the next day.
The court, however, acquitted the owner and driver of the Maruti van Parminder stating that he did not have any clue about the crime as the skin was wrapped in a bed sheet and was not visible from outside.
"There is not even an iota of evidence to show that accused Parminder had the knowledge about the animal skin being carried in his vehicle. Case property was not visible from outside being wrapped in bed sheet....as there is no direct evidence of his involvement, prosecution has to establish inevitable chain of circumstantial evidence leading to the only hypothesis of guilt of Parminder," the court said.
The court said that minor discrepancies are bound to occur due to the lapse of time. However, these would not throw away the case of the prosecution as the witnesses remained constant regarding the recovery of leopard skin from the possession of accused persons.
The judge held that the two were found guilty under section 49 and 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 thereby sentencing them to simple imprisonment and imposing a fine in default of which they are to be in jail for another three months.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Leopard skins")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}