The Karnataka High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against a man accused of capturing a king cobra and allowing others to photograph it, observing that the prosecution materials did not establish that the snake had actually been captured or kept in captivity by him.
Justice Anant Ramanath Hegde passed the order while allowing a criminal petition filed by Dr. P. Gowri Shankar, challenging proceedings initiated under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Background
The complaint was lodged by the Range Forest Officer, Agumbe Range, on September 26, 2025. It alleged that Gowri Shankar had captured a king cobra, photographed it in captivity and permitted others to take photographs. The incident also came to the authorities' attention through a video uploaded on social media by a third person.
The petitioner argued that he had frequently been called upon to rescue snakes, including king cobras, and had regularly informed the jurisdictional forest officers about such rescues. He also pointed out that the investigating authorities had not recovered any king cobra from his possession, but had only seized a snake rescue bag and a rescue hook.
After examining the complaint and charge-sheet materials, the Court found significant gaps in the allegations. It noted that there was no allegation that the petitioner had kept the king cobra in captivity, killed or injured it, or personally uploaded the photographs.
The Court observed:
"The Court is of the view that the respondent-State is not in a position to substantiate that the king cobra was actually captured by the petitioner. What is seen from the photographs produced along with the charge sheet is that the king cobra was found in the forest in an open space and it was not kept in captivity. And those photographs are found to be published in social media. The photographs are not recovered from the petitioner."
The Court also took note of the petitioner's previous communications with forest officials regarding snake rescue operations.
Considering the materials on record, Justice Anant Ramanath Hegde held that there was no basis to conclude that the petitioner had committed the alleged offences.
Accordingly, the High Court allowed the petition and quashed the criminal proceedings pending before the Senior Civil Judge and JMFC, Thirthahalli, in C.C. No. 414/2026, concerning alleged violations of Sections 2(1)(16), 9, 50, 51, 55 and 57 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Case Details
Case Title: Dr. P. Gowri Shankar v. State of Karnataka
Case Number: Criminal Petition No. 13723 of 2026
Judge: Justice Anant Ramanath Hegde
Decision Date: 2 November 2026
