Forest officials split over Ravindra Jadeja's selfie case

Earlier last month, on a visit to India on June 14, Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja posed to take a selfie amidst lions at the Gir wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat.

He was accompanied by his wife, and several other forest officials while touring the sanctuary.

The sanctuary prohibits an individual from getting off the forest jeep and take pictures.

The selfie went viral, stirring controversy.

The Gujarat Forest Department filed a public interest litigation at the Gujarat High Court, requesting an inquiry into the cricketer's pictures taken at the sanctuary.

This is the only sanctuary across the world where Asiatic lions are kept in the wild, after being listed as endangered in 2008.

Since forest guards were also in the photograph, the sanctuary's superintendent conducted the probe.

Yesterday, Gujarat's Forest Department obtained cricketer Jadeja's statement after investigations.

The officials had summoned him to Sasan or Jungadh to record the cricketer's statement, although he did not report for the statement.

Later, a phone recording was taken as a statement.

Jadeja said that he had been unaware of the rules and regulations, and had not known that photographs were prohibited.

Forest officials are split over what actions to adopt against the cricketer after he ignored laws and trespassed prohibited areas at the Gir wildlife sanctuary.

Some officials wish to book him under the Wildlife Protection Act and proceed to take strict action against Jadeja.

A few other officers wished to book him under the Indian Forests Act and ask him to pay a fine.