27 August,2026 08:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
The Indian spectacled cobra (Naja naja). Representation Pic/iStock
Permission granted by the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) to the Sangli forest department to capture 41 male Indian cobras in Sangli's Battis Shirala village "for educational purposes" between August 10 and 20 has triggered a row, with the department's long-time legal adviser, Dhiraj Mirajkar, questioning whether the exercise was a backdoor attempt to bypass court curbs on using live snakes in rituals for Nag Panchami, which was observed on August 17.
Battis Shirala is known for its historical tradition of live snake worship during Nag Panchami, a practice banned since 2006 following a petition by wildlife activists.
[popcorn number="August 17" desc="Day Nag Panchami was observed" class="Default"]
In a letter dated August 21 addressed to the deputy inspector general of forests (wildlife), Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Mirajkar pointed out that a similar permission was apparently issued in 2025 and questioned whether the timing of both permissions coinciding with the Nag Panchami period was merely a coincidence.
"Such permissions to capture Naja naja (Indian spectacled cobra) for educational purposes align exactly with the period of Nag Panchami in 2025 and 2026," he stated.
Mirajkar questioned the scientific basis for allowing exactly 41 cobras to be captured. He said there appeared to be no scientific significance to the number and argued that if it had a ritualistic significance, the permission would be even more questionable. Another major concern raised in his letter is the condition that only male cobras be captured.
Mirajkar pointed out that male and female Indian cobras do not have obvious external sexual differences, making it difficult for field-level personnel to reliably identify males merely by observation.
He further stated that accurate sex determination involves cloacal probing, a procedure that must only be undertaken by trained and experienced personnel as improper probing could seriously injure or even kill the snake.
The restriction of the capture operation specifically to Battis Shirala has also been questioned. The area was historically known for public displays of snakes during Nag Panchami. Mirajkar argued that since the festival is observed across Maharashtra, limiting the permission to Battis Shirala raises further questions about the stated purpose of the exercise.
Mirajkar also questioned the stated objective of capturing the snakes for "education", particularly the claim that traditional knowledge of snake conservation would be disseminated among local residents.
Mirajkar questioned whether the ministry had examined the scientific necessity of capturing live cobras for this purpose and whether such traditional knowledge had any relevance beyond the Battis Shirala region. Highlighting the scale of the snakebite crisis in India, he argued that conservation and snake-safety knowledge should not be restricted to one locality.
The permission also reportedly requires the chief wildlife warden of Maharashtra to document the capture process in each case. Mirajkar has sought to know whether similar documentation was prepared and submitted to the ministry following the 2025 permission and has requested a copy of those records.
He has urged the ministry to examine the matter with all concerned and direct the chief wildlife warden not to seek such permissions in future. He has also sought that any similar request, if made again, be rejected.
The MoEF&CC granted permission to the Sangli forest department to capture 21 male Indian spectacled cobras from July 27 to July 31 in 2025, citing educational purposes. The CWW of Maharashtra had sought permission under Section 12 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, to capture the snakes from the Shirala forest range.
The deputy inspector general of forests (wildlife) at the MoEF&CC, approved the request through a formal letter addressed to the CWW, laying out specific conditions for the activity. The topic came to light during the Maharashtra Assembly's monsoon session last year when BJP MLA Satyajit Deshmukh raised a calling attention motion on the matter.
The motion received backing from the NCP-SP and BJP, while a Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) MLA questioned whether the state would approach the Supreme Court to seek a reversal of the ban.
According to Mirajkar, live cobras were historically captured across Maharashtra for Nag Panchami celebrations, with snakes often being defanged and subjected to rituals, including the pouring of milk over their heads. He said courts had subsequently prohibited the use of live snakes in such rites in 2002 and 2014.
Mirajkar has alleged that granting permissions under Section 12 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, could amount to an attempt to bypass these prohibitions, describing the permissions as a potential "fraud on the statute".
