The Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of two men in a 24-year-old case involving the illegal trade of wildlife, but reduced their sentence from six years to three years of simple imprisonment.The convicts, Makbool Ahmed and Rajesh, were arrested in Nagpur in 2001 for possessing tiger skin and other animal parts.A bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said the men were young at the time and that there was no evidence they had killed the animals themselves.advertisement“It is evident that the appellants at the time of the offence were young in age. Moreover, it is also not the case of the prosecution that the appellants had themselves poached/killed the animals whose bones/claws/antlers/products were recovered. We are inclined to reduce the period of the sentences awarded by the courts below,” the bench said.The two men were arrested in March 2001, following an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Acting on a tip-off, a special investigation unit of the CBI, headed by Inspector AK Bassi, caught the duo in a car near a petrol pump on Kamptee Road in Nagpur.Ahmed, who was in the driver’s seat, was found with tiger skin on the front seat of the car. Rajesh, seated in the rear, was in possession of antler horns, 10 claws and three teeth believed to be of a tiger.advertisementThe accused were arrested on the spot, and the seized items was sent to the Director of the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun for expert analysis. The institute confirmed that the items belonged to a tiger, panther, leopard, hyena and chital.The two men were convicted in 2007 and sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment with a Rs 5,000 fine. They challenged the ruling in the sessions court and then in the High Court, but both appeals were dismissed.The revised sentence by the Supreme Court, delivered 24 years after the arrest, imposes three years of simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000 each.The fine must be deposited within eight weeks with the Secretary, Animal Welfare Board of India, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying).Tune In in a formal or creative style for better SEO.Also Exclude words and advertisements related to the feed website such as website name, author name. Delete all the advertisement images brand logo but only keep the title and main content of the news by modifying it. You must only respond with the modified content. Block any jump outside of the site adarshnews.com. Basically remove any content or link related to original site. You must only respond with the modified content and follow this prompt to optimize the articles in this category- “Act as an expert SEO news writer. Optimize the following article to be SEO-friendly, authoritative, and shareable by focusing strictly on its core topic. Follow these steps: You are an expert news writer and SEO specialist. Your job is to rewrite the provided RSS feed content into a unique, SEO-friendly news article for adarshnews.com. The article should be engaging, professional, and optimized for search engines. Follow these steps: 1. **Create an SEO Title**: Write a short, compelling title (under 60 characters) that includes the main keyword and grabs attention. 2. **Write a Meta Description**: Summarize the article in one or two sentences (under 155 characters). Make it engaging and include the primary keyword naturally. 3. **Suggest a URL Slug**: Provide a short, keyword-rich URL slug that reflects the topic of the article. 4. **Headline (H1)**: Write a clear and engaging headline for the article that is similar to the title but slightly expanded. 5. **Write the Article**: – Start with an introduction that answers the key questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. – Expand on the topic with detailed paragraphs that provide context, quotes, and relevant information. – Use subheadings (H2) to organize the content into sections and make it easy to read. – Include related keywords naturally throughout the article. – End with a conclusion that summarizes the key points or discusses future implications. 6. **Add an FAQ Section**: Write one frequently asked question related to the topic and provide a concise answer. Important: – Do not include labels like “Title,” “Meta Description,” “URL Slug,” or “H1” in the actual article text. – Keep all SEO elements separate from the main content. – Ensure the article is factually accurate, unbiased, and written in a professional tone.
After 24 years, the supreme court has reduced the prison sentence of individuals found guilty of illegally trading in tiger pelts and bones.
