Kerala High Court Invalidates Mohanlal’s Government-Issued Ivory Ownership Certificates

The Kerala High Court, Division Bench of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Jobin Sebastian, quashed ownership certificates issued to actor Mohanlal by the Government of Kerala on January 16 and April 6, 2016, declaring them illegal and unenforceable.

The certificates had purportedly regularised his possession of two pairs of elephant tusks and thirteen ivory artefacts seized in 2011.

The Court held that the government orders and certificates lacked a lawful basis under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The Court permitted the State to issue a fresh notification under Section 44 of the Act, ensuring compliance with statutory provisions and wildlife protection norms.

[James Mathew v State of Kerala & Paulose v. Mohanlal]