17 years on, gallery owner convicted for Shahtoosh shawl export bid

New Delhi: In a rare conviction under Wildlife Protection Act, a court convicted a Jaipur art gallery owner for attempting to illegally export Shahtoosh shawls - made from hair of the critically endangered Tibetan antelope - in a CBI case that dragged on for 17 years.

The chief judicial magistrate at Delhi's Rouse Avenue district court sentenced on March 12 Syed Shahid Ahmed Kashani, proprietor of Indian Art Gallery in Jaipur, to three years of simple imprisonment and imposed on him a fine of Rs 50,000. The seized shawls will become govt property.

The Tibetan antelope, locally known as Chiru, is listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, making its trade strictly prohibited. Shahtoosh shawl trade has been banned globally since 1975 under an international convention.

"What makes this case unique is the coordination among four agencies - Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, CBI, Customs and Wildlife Institute of India - for nearly 17 years," said the environment ministry.

WCCB had detected 1,290 Shahtoosh shawls in an export consignment at IGI airport and filed a complaint with CBI in 2009. Forensic probe by WII confirmed presence of Tibetan antelope hair in 41 shawls. "The case is among the earliest instances of a Shahtoosh smuggling case being investigated by CBI at the instance of WCCB," environment ministry said.
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