Overview
- A division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court led by Justices Vivek Jain and Ajay Kumar Nirankari told the state government, forest department and Kanha park management to file a detailed reply and supporting files within two weeks.
- The order, issued on Saturday, responded to a public interest petition by Mumbai advocate Subit Chakraborty who sought full monitoring files, post-mortem and veterinary reports for eight tiger deaths reported between March and May 2026.
- The petitioner has flagged a possible link to Canine Distemper Virus, a contagious viral disease that can spread from domestic dogs and other carnivores and cause respiratory and neurological signs in wild carnivores.
- Court documents ask officials to disclose what preventive and curative measures were taken, the status of NTCA CDV advisories in Kanha and nearby buffer villages, and records of vaccination drives, surveillance and veterinary coordination.
- If authorities comply, the files could prompt immediate action such as targeted dog vaccination, tighter buffer-zone animal control and standardized post-mortem testing, and they will shape whether wider policy or management changes follow.