Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh High Court, Jabalpur bench, directed the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to submit the cause of death and postmortem reports of the six tigers that died this year and the MP Forest Department to provide a detailed investigation report on the 54 tiger deaths recorded last year.
Four tigers, including a sub-adult, died inside the reserve, and two others died on February 2 at Shahdol near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.A division bench of Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf of the High Court on Wednesday was hearing a petition filed by Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dube regarding the death of 54 tigers in Madhya Pradesh, the highest since the tiger scheme was launched in the country.
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve Field Director Anupam Sahay and MP Forest Officer have been asked to submit a detailed report by February 25.
Petitioner’s lawyer Aditya Sanghvi told the court that six tigers died in Shahdol district and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
Four tigers, including a sub-adult, died in the reserve on 7, 8, 16 and 20 January, and two others died on 2 February at Shahdol near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. “None of the tiger deaths were natural; they were due to electrocution or other unnatural events,” he added.
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“According to the latest census, Madhya Pradesh has 785 tigers. Despite being a tiger-controlled state, 54 tigers are estimated to die in Madhya Pradesh in 2025. The state recorded 43 tiger deaths in 2022, 45 in 2023 and 46 in 2024, according to official data. An estimated 57% of the deaths are considered unnatural, Due to hunting, electrocution or unknown circumstances,” Sanghvi said.
A committee was formed to investigate the incidents of tiger deaths and poaching in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and Shahdol Forest Circle in the last three years, the petitioner said.
“Investigation into the reports revealed clear negligence, such as the discovery of old, mutilated tiger carcasses in some cases, body parts missing in others, and a lack of efforts to identify and arrest the culprits. In addition, it appears that standard operating procedures and guidelines set by the wildlife headquarters were not followed by national conservation authorities and conservation authorities. The guidelines for proper handling of cases were not followed, most importantly, tigers were often reported as ‘in combat’, but no proper investigation was conducted,” The petition read.
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MP Forest Department Additional Chief Forest Conservator L. Krishnamurthy said, “Most of the deaths are accidental or regional. We are investigating each case properly with all forensic evidence.”
