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SC issues notices on 'wild' dinner in Andhra

The Supreme Court Monday issued notices on a public interest petition alleging that wildlife protection authorities failed to book certain top Andhra Pradesh politicians, who served the meat of protected animals at a dinner to honour state Minister of Major Irrigation P Nageshwara Rao.

The incident is reported to have occurred in October 1998 in the vicinity of the Papikonda sanctuary.

A division bench comprising Justices Sujata V Manohar and R C Lahoti issued the notices, returnable in four weeks, to the Union environment ministry, wildlife director, the government of India and inspector general of forests.

Petitioner Dr P Pullarao alleged that the dinner, wherein the meat of spotted deer, sambhar, wild bear, peacock and hare was served, was attended among others by Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi, Andhra Pradesh Revenue Minister T Devender Goud, Excise Minister M Venkateshwara Rao, Panchayat Minister K Shiva Prasad Rao and Roads and Buildings Minister B Gopalakrishna Reddy.

It was allegedly organised by political activist K Venkata Satyanarayana to celebrate Nageshwara Rao's completing three years in the state cabinet.

The petitioner urged the court for a direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a thorough investigation into the dinner.

UNI

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