Kerala HC Grants Bail To 70-Year-Old Man Booked For Allegedly Hunting & Killing Leopard In Reserve Forest

The Kerala High Court granted regular bail to a 70-year-old man accused of killing a leopard in a reserve forest using a cable trap. The accused was charged under the Kerala Forest Act, 1961, and Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The Court considered the petitioner’s advanced age, duration of custody, absence of prior record, and lack of conclusive evidence linking him to the trap. Observing that no material clearly established who laid the trap or its precise location, the Court granted bail with conditions.