Actor Mohanlal has declared 10 elephant tusks and 13 ivory idols before the Kerala Forest Department under the state's wildlife amnesty scheme, even as he continues to face trial in a long-pending case over the alleged illegal possession of wildlife articles.
Forest officials said the declaration was submitted at the Malayattoor Divisional Forest Office as part of the department's ongoing amnesty initiative, which allows individuals to voluntarily disclose unregistered wildlife articles in their possession. The scheme enables authorities to examine such items and, where permissible under law, regularise ownership.
According to officials, Mohanlal had previously declared four elephant tusks. With the latest disclosure of six additional tusks, the total number declared by the actor has risen to 10.
In addition to the tusks, Mohanlal has declared 13 ivory idols depicting Hindu deities, including Lord Krishna, Lord Ram and Tirupati Balaji. Forest officials said the idols have a combined weight of approximately 46 kg. The actor has consistently maintained that the majority of the elephant tusks in his possession were either inherited from family members or received as gifts over the years.
Officials said all the declared tusks and ivory artefacts will now undergo DNA analysis and other scientific examinations to verify their authenticity and establish their origin before any further legal or administrative action is taken.
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The fresh declaration comes even as Mohanlal remains an accused in a wildlife case linked to the alleged illegal possession of four elephant tusks. The case dates back to 2011, when officials of the Income Tax Department conducted searches at the actor's residences and reportedly recovered elephant tusks and other ivory artefacts. Following the search, the Kerala Forest Department registered a case, alleging that Mohanlal possessed two pairs of elephant tusks without obtaining the mandatory permissions required under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
The Kerala government had subsequently sought to withdraw the prosecution. However, the trial court rejected the request, and the decision was later upheld by the Kerala High Court, allowing the criminal proceedings against the actor to continue.
In a separate development last year, the Kerala High Court also cancelled the ownership certificates issued for the ivory articles in Mohanlal's possession. The court struck down a state government order that had regularised his ownership of the tusks, holding that the certificates issued in his favour were not legally sustainable.
The wildlife amnesty scheme introduced by the Kerala Forest Department provides an opportunity for individuals possessing unregistered wildlife articles to voluntarily disclose them before the authorities. The declared items are then scrutinised to determine their legality, and ownership may be regularised in cases permitted under law, while also protecting those who come forward from penal action for failing to declare such articles earlier.
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