A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the Kerala government to file a statement in response to a plea for a court-monitored probe by a special team into the grant of ownership certificates for two pairs of ivory tusks in the possession of actor Mohanlal.
The Bench comprising Chief Justice S. Manikumar and Justice C.K. Abbul Rehim passed the directive on a public interest litigation petition filed by James Mathew, a retired forest officer from Pathanamthitta.
According to him, the two pairs of tusks and 13 artefacts made of ivory were seized from the residence of the actor in Kochi in 2012. However, no case was registered for illegally possessing the ivory artefacts as the actor did not have a certificate of possession as mandated under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 at the time of the seizure.
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Later, the government issued a possession certificate to him for the two pair of ivories.
The petitioner contended that the government’s decision to grant ownership certificate was in violation of the WP Act.