The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has refused to disclose post-mortem reports of cheetahs that died at Kuno National Park in Sheopur, invoking a national security exemption under the Right to Information Act to argue that releasing the data could damage India's relations with foreign countries. The refusal, delivered on 9 October 2026, has drawn sharp criticism from the wildlife activist who filed the original RTI application.

The RTI Refusal and Its Legal Basis

In its reply, the Kuno Wildlife Forest Division cited Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act, 2005, which permits withholding of information that could prejudice India's sovereignty, security, strategic interests, or relations with a foreign state. Public Information Officer and Divisional Forest Officer Amar Shrikrishna stated in the letter: 'Project Cheetah is a national project of the Government of India, being implemented with international cooperation.'

The reply further noted that the Government of India had signed formal Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with foreign countries in connection with the project. On that basis, the division concluded that it was 'not competent to disclose such information' as a regional field-level unit.

What the RTI Application Sought

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey filed the RTI application on 28 January, seeking information on four aspects of Project Cheetah — including details of foreign tours undertaken by officials, and post-mortem reports along with related findings for cheetahs that died in Madhya Pradesh from 1 January 2024 onwards. After the division's initial response, Dubey filed a first appeal. An appellate order dated 17 September from the office of the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Madhya Pradesh, directed the Kuno division to take necessary action. The division nonetheless refused to provide the reports in its 9 October reply.

Activist's Pushback on Transparency

Dubey has publicly questioned the department's reasoning, arguing that making post-mortem reports available would not harm foreign relations and was instead essential to ensuring transparency and accountability in the conservation programme. He maintained that the findings should be placed in the public domain to establish the verified causes of death of the cheetahs.

According to Dubey, the department also stated that no records of official foreign tours related to the project were available in its office — a claim he found difficult to reconcile with the department's simultaneous assertion that the project involved extensive international cooperation.

Background: Project Cheetah and Its International Links

Project Cheetah was launched in September 2022 with the translocation of eight cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno National Park. Twelve more cheetahs were brought from South Africa in February 2023. The programme is coordinated across Kuno National Park, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, with correspondence involving foreign delegations, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Madhya Pradesh government, and the Union Environment Ministry.

This is the latest in a series of transparency disputes surrounding Project Cheetah, which has faced persistent scrutiny over the number of cheetah deaths since the programme's launch. Notably, the invocation of a foreign-relations exemption — typically reserved for diplomatic and security matters — to block disclosure of veterinary post-mortem reports is unusual and is likely to intensify calls for independent oversight of the project.

What Happens Next

Dubey is expected to escalate the matter to the State Information Commission or higher appellate authorities. Conservationists and opposition voices are likely to use this refusal to press for a broader independent review of Project Cheetah's mortality data. With India's cheetah reintroduction programme drawing global attention, the controversy over disclosure could complicate the government's efforts to present the initiative as a success story.