Court cancels Mohanlal's ivory ownership certificate

A division bench of the Kerala High Court has declared the ownership certificates issued to actor Mohanlal for two pairs of elephant tusks and associated ivory artefacts illegal and unenforceable, directing the state to issue a fresh notification under Section 44 of the Wildlife Act, 1972.

- HD Bureau

The court's order nullifies two government orders dating January 16 and April 6, 2016 that had declared his possession lawful, and emphasises that the forest department's action lacks legal validity.

The case traces back to a December 21, 2011 income-tax raid at the actor's residence in Thevara, Ernakulam, where two pairs of elephant tusks and 13 ivory artefacts were seized. The Forest Department subsequently registered a case under Section 50 of the Wildlife Act. The actor had sought to regularise his possession by applying in 2016, after which the certificates were issued.