MP's Kuno Refuses To Disclose Cheetah Autopsy Reports Citing Foreign Relations, Wildlife Activist Questions RTI Exemption

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Kuno wildlife division office, Sheopur, refused to share information related to autopsy reports of cheetahs that died from Jan 1, 2024, to Jan 28, 2026.

It said such information could not be disclosed as it could have an adverse effect on India’s relations with foreign countries with which memoranda of understanding (MOUs) have been signed in connection with the cheetah project.

This fact came to the fore in the reply given by district forest officer (DFO), Sheopur, R Thirukural to wildlife activist Ajay Dubey in response to his Right to Information (RTI) application.

Thirukural said that Project Cheetah is a national project which is being conducted with international cooperation and is not limited to Kuno wildlife division.

The Indian government has signed MOUs with foreign countries in connection with the project.

Therefore, such information, where there is a possibility that India's relations with any foreign state could be adversely affected, is exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Kuno Wildlife Division, which is an implementing agency, is unable to disclose such information.

In response to another point of information sought over foreign tours undertaken in connection with the cheetah project, Kuno Wildlife Division said that there is no record available with it regarding foreign tours undertaken in connection with cheetah conservation and management in Kuno National Park, Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary and Rani Durgawati Nauradehi Tiger Reserve.

Similarly, Kuno wildlife forest division has not had any communication with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Madhya Pradesh government and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Dubey said that it is beyond understanding how post-mortem reports of an animal could be a threat to the sovereignty and security of India. This is a blatant misuse of Section 8(1)(a) to hide the facts.

He demanded that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and MP Forest Department should immediately place all post-mortem reports and foreign trip expenditures in the public domain.

Along with this, there is no information available in connection with the correspondence done with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Madhya Pradesh government and Ministry of Environment and Forest.