Pauri (Uttarakhand), September 28, 2012: Rani – wife of notorious wildlife trader Sansar Chand was convicted today for illegal wildlife trade, and sentenced to seven years in prison by a court here, in a rare judgment providing maximum punishment under the Wildlife Protection Act.

The case pertains to the seizure of two leopard skins and two jackal skins in Naogaon village, Pauri, in 2004. Interrogation of the three apprehended persons revealed that the skins were to be delivered to Rani.

“This is one of the rare cases of maximum punishment of seven years being awarded to an offender under the Wildlife Protection Act,” said Ashok Kumar, Vice-chairman, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

WTI lawyer Manish Ranjan Rauthan had assisted the prosecution in the case.

“The only other case (in our knowledge) where a wildlife offender was awarded the maximum seven years imprisonment was for Juhru – notorious tiger poacher from Sariska,” added WTI advocate Saurabh Sharma.