PAWS Mumbai urges legal action against Chhaya Kadam over alleged wildlife meat consumption

April 30, 2025 - 2:35 PM IST

The Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) Mumbai has filed a complaint with forest authorities, seeking legal action against actress Chhaya Kadam for allegedly admitting to consuming meat from protected wildlife species in a recent interview. The NGO has called for an investigation into the sourcing of the meat and potential poaching violations, prompting the Thane Forest Department to initiate an inquiry.

PAWS Mumbai urges legal action against Chhaya Kadam over alleged wildlife meat consumption

NGO’s Complaint and Official Response

PAWS Mumbai submitted a letter to the Chief Conservator of Forests (Thane) and the Divisional Forest Officer (Thane), highlighting Kadam’s interview claims. Sunish Subramanian Kunju, Honorary Wildlife Warden and PAWS-Mumbai founder, stated, “Our team came across an interview of actress Chhaya Kadam where she claimed to have eaten meat of protected wildlife species such as mouse deer, rabbits, wild boar, monitor lizard, and porcupine in a radio interview posted on YouTube. This sends a wrong message to the public and constitutes an offence under various sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. We also request that relevant sections of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 be applied. The interview should be considered as an admission of guilt. We urge you to investigate and take legal action against her and others involved in this criminal activity of wildlife poaching for meat.”

Roshan Rathod, Divisional Forest Officer (Vigilance), confirmed, “We have received the complaint. It has been forwarded by the Chief Conservator of Forests to the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) for inquiry. The actress will be called in for investigation soon.” The complaint cites violations of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Biodiversity Act, 2002, urging authorities to treat Kadam’s statements as a criminal admission.

Latest Updates on Chhaya Kadam

Chhaya Kadam, known for her roles in Laapataa Ladies and Gangubai Kathiawadi, recently made headlines for her performance in All We Imagine As Light, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes 2024. She also appeared in Kunal Kemmu’s directorial debut Madgaon Express, playing a criminal named Kanchan Kombdi.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sonali Kulkarni is happy for her co-stars Aamir Khan, Chhaya Kadam for Laapataa Ladies’ selection for the Oscars: “I know what it means”