In a landmark ruling, the Telangana High Court has held that forest officials have no authority to investigate or file charges for general penal offences such as assault or criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The decision was delivered by Justice J Sreenivasa Rao on January 6, 2026.
The ruling came in response to a writ petition filed against six individuals who were accused of obstructing and assaulting forest officers in 2022. The court quashed criminal proceedings under the IPC against these individuals, stating that their continuation would amount to an “abuse of the process of law.”
The judgment underscored that while forest officials possess statutory powers under the Wildlife Protection (WLP) Act, they lack jurisdiction to investigate or file charges for general penal offences. The order, however, did not preclude forest officials from seeking alternative legal paths if they feel aggrieved by the assault. The court suggested that in such cases, the suitable police channels should be utilized rather than internal forest department reports.
The controversy arose on March 28, 2022, when forest officials of Mannanur range in Amrabad forest division of Nagarkurnool district registered a Preliminary Offence Report (POR) against the petitioners. They were charged with violations under sections 27 and 56 of the WLP Act, as well as sections 332 and 333 of IPC, which pertain to criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servants from their duty.
The petitioners’ counsel argued that forest officials have no authority or jurisdiction to conduct investigations into offences under the IPC, and that they are entitled to probe offences under the Wildlife Protection Act alone. The court agreed with this argument, ruling in favor of the petitioners and quashing the criminal proceedings against them.
