New Delhi, March 19 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the FIR and all subsequent proceedings against Elvish Yadav under the Wildlife (Protection) Act - finding that the case, registered by Uttar Pradesh Police in November 2023, was unsustainable on multiple legal grounds.

A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh dismantled the prosecution's case on three distinct fronts.

First, the wildlife complaint at the heart of the FIR was filed by an individual who was not an authorised person under the Wildlife (Protection) Act - a procedural flaw the court found fatal to the case. Though the informant presented himself as an animal welfare officer at the time of filing, he no longer held that position.

Second, th...