Heard the learned Counsel for the applicants and the learned A.P.P. for the State.

This is an application filed by the applicants seeking anticipatory bail in P.O.R. No.45/14, registered with the Conservator of Forest, Amravati for the offence punishable under Section 51 of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 (‘the Act of 1972’ for short) in relation to violation of Sections 9, 39(3)(a) (b)(c), 44(1)(b), 48(a), 49, 49-B( 1)(b).

At about 9:00 p.m. of 17/07/2016, the Forest Officers received an information that some people having illegally captured a wild animal, listed in the Schedule to the Act of 1972, killed it, cooked its meat and consumed it as food in a party organized in one agricultural field situated within the precincts of village Pimpalbhuta, District Amravati. After making necessary preparations for conducting raid, which took about 3 to 4 hours, the search team visited the agricultural field in the early hours of 18/07/2016 i.e. at about 01:00 a.m. and stumbled upon a few empty liquor bottles, animal bones and pieces of leftover meat strewn in front of a hut erected in the field. The team also found one person Maroti Waghmare as present in the field. Upon inquiry