NAGPUR, Jan. 24 -- The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of an alarming rise in tiger deaths in Maharashtra and directed that a public interest litigation (PIL) be registered to examine systemic lapses in wildlife protection and investigations. The court acted after a news report highlighted the deaths of four tigers in Vidarbha between December 31, 2025 and January 11 this year. It was pointed out that as many as 11 tigers died in the first 22 days of 2025 alone, and that Maharashtra ranked second nationally in tiger fatalities after Madhya Pradesh last year. The bench observed that several deaths were reported under disturbing circumstances, including electrocution due to illegally erected live electric fencing and suspected road accidents. Noting that the pattern pointed to a worsening human-wildlife conflict, the judges expressed concern over gaps in enforcement, investigation and accountability. A division bench comprising justices Anil Kilor and Raj D Wakode appointed advocate Chaitanya Dhruv as amicus curiae to draft and argue the suo motu PIL. According to the report cited by the court, on December 31, 2025, a tigress was found dead in Selu-Murpad village near the Bor Tiger Reserve in Wardha district. The animal is believed to have been electrocuted after coming into contact with an illegal live fence erected around a farm, following which the carcass was allegedly dumped in a water body under a bridge. More than 13 days later, no arrests had been made in the case. On January 7, two tiger cubs aged eight to nine months were found dead in the Deolapar area under the Pench Tiger Reserve. While forest officials initially attributed the deaths to a territorial fight, the report cited the possibility that the cubs may have been killed after being hit by a vehicle....