In a dramatic week that has shaken India's tiger capital, three key operatives of an international tiger poaching and smuggling syndicate have been sentenced to four years in prison, even as rising tiger death figures in Madhya Pradesh have prompted High Court intervention and intensified judicial scrutiny.
The special court in Narmadapuram district convicted the prime accused, Aadin Singh, alias Kalla Bawaria, of Vidisha, along with Pujari Singh from Punjab and Rindik Teronpi from Assam, sentencing each to four years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000.
While the convictions are significant, they have also cast a stark spotlight on a troubling reality: even as tiger deaths reach alarming levels, the networks behind the poaching appear far more entrenched and organised than previously believed.
Kalla Bawaria is no ordinary poacher. According to Madhya Pradesh's Special Tiger Strike Force (STSF), he is a notorious wildlife offender wanted across several Indian states as well as in Nepal. Officials say he is accused in a 2012 tiger poaching and smuggling case in Nepal and in a 2013 tiger parts trafficking case in Akola, Maharashtra.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the MP STSF arrested Bawaria in August 2023 from Gyaraspur in Vidisha. The other two accused were tracked down in 2025: Pujari Singh in Punjab and Rindik Teronpi in Assam.
The arrest of Rindik Teronpi (52) exposed deeper international linkages. She has previously been arrested along with her son Bedasingh Senar for smuggling pangolin scales and tiger parts. Investigators describe her as an integral link in an organized wildlife crime syndicate stretching across South and Southeast Asia with suspected connections to transnational trafficking routes.
Now, the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has announced that it will formally request the Central Government to hand over Kalla Bawaria to Nepal, a move officials believe could help dismantle a larger cross-border poaching network.
Even as the court delivered convictions, a more disturbing development unfolded in the High Court.
Taking serious note of the sharp rise in tiger deaths, a Division Bench headed by the Hon'ble Chief Justice directed the Field Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to submit a detailed investigation report by February 25, 2026.
The order came in response to a petition filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey. Representing the petitioner, Senior Advocate Aditya Sanghi presented alarming statistics before the court, as per NDTV earlier. In 2025 alone, 54 tiger deaths were recorded in Madhya Pradesh. In just the first month of 2026, nine more tigers have already died.
During arguments, Senior Advocate Sanghi alleged that organized poaching is rampant in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. He claimed forest officials often attribute tiger deaths to "territorial fights" to conceal the reality of poaching and electrocution.
The petition accuses officials of failing to implement strong anti-poaching measures and of "sleeping" while organized syndicates operate with impunity.
The High Court, noting the gravity of the matter, has sought a comprehensive explanation detailing the exact causes of the deaths and the preventive steps taken or not taken to protect the species. The next hearing is scheduled for February 25.
In what appears to be a response to mounting criticism, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF) Vijay Ambade has established a dedicated "Legal Cell" at Van Bhavan headquarters. The new cell aims to streamline wildlife-related court cases and ensure stronger legal accountability, particularly in cases involving tiger poachers. Officials claim the Legal Cell will pursue the strictest convictions against forest offenders and strengthen prosecution strategies.
Madhya Pradesh proudly calls itself India's "Tiger State." Yet the conviction of international poachers and simultaneous judicial alarm over rising tiger deaths present a stark contradiction. With international syndicates, cross-border fugitives, rising death figures, and now direct High Court monitoring, the battle for MP's tigers has entered a decisive phase.
