Entrenching Brahminical Conservation

During the winter session of Parliament, the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 (“the bill”) was passed in the Rajya Sabha on 8 De­­cember 2022. The bill, which is on the cusp of being notified, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 17 December 2021 with the very explicit aim of implementing the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Since India is a signatory of CITES, various provisions were introduced by the union government to increase and strengthen protection for animals protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972.

Despite these intentions and in light of all the debates in both houses, it would suffice to say that this bill has its fair share of problems. The majority of concerns surrounding the bill, which have been raised by civil society activists as well as members of Parliament (MPs), mainly focus on what is the “elephant conundrum” concerning Section 43 of the bill and the issue of “vermin” animals, which continues to terrorise far­mers to this date. Despite the concerns, most of the remaining changes have been received positively by many, especially the bill’s proposal to increase the penalty amount for general violation from `25,000 to `1,00,000 and the increase in the penalty for violation of provisions related to protected animals from `10,000 to `25,000. This increase in the penalty amount is viewed as a solid deterrent to ensure better wildlife protection, but this increase will have disastrous consequences for many.