Maharashtra Sangli forest department’s permission to capture 41 cobras triggers controversy

Permission granted by the principal chief conservator of forests wildlife to the Sangli forest department to capture 41 male Indian cobras in Sanglirsquos Battis Shirala village ldquofor educational purposesrdquo between August 10 and 20 has triggered a row with the departmentrsquos longtime 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 17Battis Shirala is known for its historical tradition of live snake worship during Nag Panchami a practice banned since 2006 following a petition by wildlife activistspopcorn numberAugust 17 descDay Nag Panchami was observed classDefaultIn a letter dated August 21 addressed to the deputy inspector general of forests wildlife Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change MoEFampCC 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 coincidenceldquoSuch permissions to capture Naja naja Indian spectacled cobra for educational purposes align exactly with the period of Nag Panchami in 2025 and 2026rdquo he statedThree big questionsMirajkar 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 capturedMirajkar pointed out that male and female Indian cobras do not have obvious external sexual differences making it difficult for fieldlevel personnel to reliably identify males merely by observationHe 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 snakeThe 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 exerciseWhy capture for educationMirajkar also questioned the stated objective of capturing the snakes for ldquoeducationrdquo particularly the claim that traditional knowledge of snake conservation would be disseminated among local residentsMirajkar 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 snakesafety knowledge should not be restricted to one localityThe 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 recordsHe 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 rejectedLast yearrsquos incidentThe MoEFampCC 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 rangeThe deputy inspector general of forests wildlife at the MoEFampCC 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 Assemblyrsquos monsoon session last year when BJP MLA Satyajit Deshmukh raised a calling attention motion on the matterThe motion received backing from the NCPSP 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 banCourt banAccording 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 2014Mirajkar 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 ldquofraud on the statuterdquo