Kerala’s Wildlife Bill Under Fire: Green Activists Say State Government Breaking Constitutional Law

In Kerala, environmental groups under the Coexistence Collective have strongly criticised the recently tabled Wildlife Protection (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2025, calling it “anti-science, anti-conservation and anti-people” in the long term.

The Collective claims the Bill represents political misrepresentation and ecological irresponsibility. Their concern centres on how the Bill interacts with the Constitution’s treatment of subjects in the Concurrent List—in particular, how state laws can clash with central law, with central law prevailing in case of a conflict.

They allege that the state government is attempting, through indirect means, to erode these constitutional safeguards. According to M. N. Jayachandran, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Idukki, such an approach is not only a violation of constitutional morality but also amounts to bypassing expert authorities and the established legal structure.

One significant worry is that the Bill could pave the way for political or religious leaders—such as panchayat presidents—to authorise action, up to and including killing, against animals listed under Schedule I of wildlife protection law, animals that currently enjoy the highest level of legal protection.

Signatories to the joint statement include major Kerala environmental groups such as Green Protectors Collective, VIRIYA, the Save Nelliyampathy Campaign, ANEC Trust, among others.

The Collective is calling on the state government to withdraw the Bill, demanding that civic society oppose what they call a false narrative that prioritises short-term appeasement over ecological balance.

Kerala Wildlife remains at the centre of a heated debate, balancing conservation with constitutional concerns.