The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed state forest department officials to strictly ensure adherence to laws for prevention of cruelty to animals and birds, amid reports of rampant illegal wildlife trade in West Bengal. Appearing for the state in a suo motu writ petition initiated by the high court, Advocate General Kishore Datta said that due to the state's geographic location and the prevailing socio-economic scenario of the region, West Bengal has become a major transit point for illicit wildlife trade.

The state government told the court that control of the illegal trade poses a major challenge to the forest department of West Bengal, which shares its border with Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. A division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee directed the official respondents in the matter to make sure that laws governing prevention of cruelty to animals and birds are abided by. The division bench directed that the contents of the order shall percolate to offices and officers concerned.