Jabalpur, February 12: In response to a significant increase in tiger deaths, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the state government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to submit a detailed report by February 25.
This order was issued during a hearing of a public interest petition filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey. The petition raised concerns over the reported deaths of 54 tigers in India in 2025, with nine deaths occurring in Madhya Pradesh since January this year.
Senior advocate Aditya Sanghi presented detailed statistics regarding tiger deaths to the court. He informed that the court has also mandated the Field Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) to submit a comprehensive investigation report by the same deadline.
Sanghi stated, “The state government and NTCA were supposed to file responses, but they requested more time. During the hearing, I informed the court that nine tigers had died under suspicious circumstances in January 2026 alone, most of which were in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve area.”
He further emphasized the seriousness of the situation, noting that the bench led by Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva has instructed the BTR Field Director to provide a detailed explanation regarding the high number of tiger fatalities.
During the discussions, Sanghi argued that there is rampant poaching occurring in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. He claimed that the forest department often dismisses these deaths as “territorial conflicts,” while the actual situation is much more dire.
The petitioner alleged that organized poaching and electrocution incidents are primary causes for the decline in tiger populations, and that officials are neglecting to take effective measures to address this crisis.
Following the arguments, the court ordered relevant authorities to submit their responses during the next hearing scheduled for February 25.