Pune: Court Sentences Two Men To Build Waterholes For Wild Animals As Punishment
Pune, 6th May 2022: In an unprecedented verdict, the Chief Judicial Magistrate SA Mulik gave the prisoners Dattatrey Murhoji Kokane and Vijay Sunil Gabhale orders to build and fill the waterholes with drinkable water regularly with their own expenses.
The judge said, “Any prison sentence is illogical. The best alternative for setting an example is for the accused to contribute to environmental protection.”
Gabhale had set a portion of the Ghodegaon forest on fire, which quickly spread to other parts of the area and resulted in the death of wild animals as well as the destruction of trees while Kokane was found guilty of killing a peacock near Shinoli village.
Under the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 and the Indian Forest Act of 1927, respectively, last year, the two were arrested.
Gabhale admitted in court that he believed lighting fire to a portion of the forest would provide better quality feed for his cattle after the monsoon.
A team of forest officers led by Amol Satpute, Deputy Conservator of forest (DCF) for the Junnar Forest Department, made the arrests.
M B Gargote, Ghodegaon’s range forest officer (RFO)said, “Such pro-environment rulings will undoubtedly raise awareness and deter people from committing crimes against nature.”
He added, “Kokane has already started construction on two waterholes in the Dhakale village area, while Gabhale has been told to develop them in Ugalewadi village, where there is a lot of wildlife.”
