Ravindra Jadeja pays INR 20,000 as fine for 'lion selfie incident'

For stirring the hornet’s nest by clicking pictures with lions a couple of months back, Indian spinner Ravindra Jadeja has finally paid the price. Officials at the Gujarat Forest Department revealed that the 27-year old settled the penalty of 20,000 Indian Rupees for breaching the law.

Since he is part of the Indian team in the ongoing Test series against West Indies, Jadeja’s father-in-law Hardevsinh Solanki met the concerned authorities and paid the fine after recording a statement on his behalf.

Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) in Junagadh, AP Singh affirmed, “We have collected Rs 20,000 fine from Jadeja for flouting rules inside the sanctuary during his visit in June. Since he was not available, we have taken statement from his father-in-law who also paid the fine on Jadeja's behalf.”

He added, “Penalty and inquiry report are two different things. The inquiry report will be sent to higher authorities after we finalize it. Action against the forest staff would be taken based on the findings of the report.”

The incident happened on June 17 when Jadeja and his wife Reeva Solanki spent some time at Gir National Park and Sanctuary. The pair reported stepped out of a safari vehicle and took pictures in front of Asiatic Lions which have been listed as endangered species.

As a consequence, an inquiry was ordered by the relevant officials and Jadeja himself recorded a statement with the Gujarat Forest Department for flouting the rules. In some of the photographs, the pair were spotted resting on the ground with a lion behind a nearby tree.

Singh had quipped then, “GNPS is a protected forest and tourists are not allowed to get down from vehicles while inside the jungle. But pictures showing the cricketer having got down from vehicle in the jungle and having taken selfies with lions are circulating on social media. Even some forest guards are seen with him in photographs. Therefore, we have ordered GNPS superintendent to conduct an inquiry into the incident and file a report.”

With the matter almost coming to a close, Jadeja can now focus on the third Test match in Gros Islet after finally gaining entry into the playing eleven.