(1.) Criminal Petition No.537/2019 has been filed by the petitioner/accused No.3 and the Criminal Petition No.538/2019 has been filed by the petitioner/accused No.4 under Section 438 of Cr.P.C., praying this Court to release them on anticipatory bail in the event of their arrest in FOC No.30/2018-19 for the offences punishable under Sections 62, 80, 71-A, 71-B, 84, 85, 86 and 87 of Karnataka Forest Act, 1963 and read with Rules 144, 145, 154 and 165 of Karnataka Forest Rules, 1969.
(2.) I have heard the learned counsel for the petitioners and the learned High Court Government Pleader for the respondent-State.
(3.) The gist of the complaint is that on 09/10/2018, when the forest officials were on patrol, the Range Forest Officer, Somwarpet Taluk, received credible information that four persons were dressing sandalwood billets in the land belonging to accused No.3. After bringing them from the reserve forest area and were about to transport them in two motorbikes and one TATA Ace vehicle. Immediately the forest officials went to the place where the dressing of sandalwood billets was taking place and notice that four persons were dressing the sandalwood billets. By seeing the forest officials, all the four persons tried to escape but officials chased them and were able to catch hold of accused Nos.1 and 2. The accused Nos.3 and 4 escaped in the field where jowar was cultivated. On an enquiry, the forest officials found dressed billets, stems with roots and dressed stems of sandalwood trees after felling them from the reserve forest area attached to Chikkaluvara Village boundary and were intending to transport the same to Mysuru in the TATA ACE vehicle.