Amicus points out discrepancies between State records and NTCA portal
Data Mismatch
Nagpur: About 20 tiger deaths recorded in Maharashtra’s official records between 2021 and Jan 2026 do not figure in National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) mortality database, while four deaths appearing on the national portal are absent from the state’s records, according to a rejoinder filed before the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Thursday.The discrepancy was flagged by court-appointed amicus curiae Chaitanya Dhruv in a suo motu PIL (No 3/2026) over a series of tiger deaths last year and this year. The PIL pertains to tiger conservation and mortality monitoring in Maharashtra.A division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Rajnish Vyas directed NTCA to submit a written reply on the amicus’s contentions within three weeks.The rejoinder, based on information obtained through an RTI application, says Maharashtra recorded 184 tiger deaths between 2021 and Jan 2026, against 167 reflected on the NTCA portal. The reconciliation showed 20 state-recorded deaths missing from the national database and four portal entries absent from state records.The missing state entries include deaths attributed to natural causes, suspected poaching and hunting traps, electrocution and unknown causes. One 2023 entry involved two tigers allegedly killed in a hunting trap, while another involved the recovery of bones, skin and teeth in a suspected electrocution case.The amicus also highlighted six deaths involving tigers in state custody that were absent from the NTCA portal, including deaths at rescue or treatment facilities in Maharashtra.The discrepancy, the rejoinder says, assumes importance because Section 38-O of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 assigns NTCA functions including maintaining a centralised database on tiger mortality. The amicus disputed the state’s contention that NTCA guidelines and standard operating procedures are merely recommendatory.For 2026, the state’s RTI response recorded 10 deaths up to May 31. The amicus said the NTCA portal subsequently showed 26 deaths in Maharashtra as of the date of the rejoinder.The amicus has sought directions requiring every tiger death — whether in the wild, an enclosure or custody — to be reported to NTCA within 24 hours and uploaded to a unified, publicly accessible database, irrespective of whether forensic reports are pending.