Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja had to pay a price for clicking selfies with lions at Gir Wildlife Sanctuary at Sasan in Junagadh. The Indian all-rounder had to pay a sum of Rs. 20000 for this act, which is strictly prohibited.
Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Junagadh, A P Singh said:
“We have collected Rs 20,000 fine from Jadeja for flouting rules inside the sanctuary during his visit in June. Since he was not available, we have taken the statement from his father-in-law, who also paid the fine on Jadeja’s behalf.”
It was Singh only who had ordered an inquiry after Jadeja posted some of those photos in which he is seen posing with the Gir lions along with his wife Reeva on his Instagram account. The pictures went viral on social media platforms soon and caught the attention of Forest authorities.
Singh though added that Jadeja should not take a sigh of relief as the penalty is not enough to solve the matter.
“Penalty and inquiry report are two different things. The inquiry report will be sent to higher authorities after we finalise it. Action against the forest staff would be taken based on the findings of the report,” Singh concluded.
