The Kerala Excessive Courtroom on Monday stayed for six months all additional proceedings towards actor Mohanlal in a case regarding unlawful possession of ivory that was pending earlier than the Judicial First Class Justice of the Peace Courtroom (JFMC), Perumbavoor.
The court docket additional allowed petitions filed by Poulose A.A. and James Mathew looking for to implead within the case. The interim order was issued on a petition by Mohanlal looking for to quash the case.
His counsel argued that the Chief Wildlife Warden, Thiruvananthapuram, had issued a certificates of possession for 4 elephant tusks. Their possession by the actor had thus been legalised and there was no violation of any provision of the Wildlife Safety Act or Kerala Wildlife (Safety) Guidelines. Therefore, the report dated September 16, 2019 of the Mekkappala forest station, Ernakulam, towards the petitioner was unsustainable.
The actor had been directed to look earlier than the Justice of the Peace court docket on November 3, after dismissing a petition by the State for withdrawal of prosecution. The case was registered after elephant tusks and 13 ivory artefacts had been seized by the Earnings Tax division from the residence of Mohanlal in Kochi in 2011.
