The department did not investigate the route by which the ivory reached Mohanlal as mandated by the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It was decided in favor of the actor after recording his statement, he said. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
Kerala Forest officials were allegedly pressured by a senior government official to favor actor Mohanlal in the illegal ivory possession case and withdraw the charges against him, former Forest officials have revealed.
“The then Chief Secretary of Kerala, Tom Jose, asked me to help Mr. Mohanlal in the case. The official shouted at me when I refused to comply and said that only legally permissible action would be taken in the case,” Surendrakumar, former Chief Wildlife Warden, Kerala, told The Hindu.
However, Mr. Jose said he did not recall any such incident. “If the forest officer has any evidence to support his claim, let him bring it,” said Mr. Jose.
‘In favor of the actor’
Mr. Surendrakumar said he informed the department that the procedure followed to issue the certificate of ownership of the ivory found on the actor during the income tax raid was flawed. The department did not investigate the route by which the ivory reached Mr. Mohanlal as mandated by the Wildlife Conservation Act, 1972. It was decided in favor of the actor after recording his statement, he said.
Incidentally, a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court comprising Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Jobin Sebastian on Friday quashed the ownership certificate issued to the actor and ordered that the department’s action in the case be void ab initio. “Mr. Mohanlal did not inform the department about possession of the ivory or seek ownership certificate until the Income Tax raid at his residence revealed the illegal possession of the wildlife trophy. The forest officer who conducted the investigation, which is a prerequisite for issuing the ownership certificate, violated mandatory procedures. I noted the violations in the files and later included them in the affidavit,” stated he said.
Minister’s support
Mr. Surendrakumar said the then Forest Minister K. Raju supported him and asked him to follow the rules and regulations.
A former divisional forest officer of the Malayattoor Forest Division, who was involved in filing the chargesheet in the wildlife crime case against the actor, confirmed that the government had issued a letter asking officials not to proceed against him. However, the department charged the case based on the available facts, said the official on condition of anonymity.
Criminal cases against this actor are pending in various courts.
Published – 26 Oct 2025 20:26 IST
