Documents obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act have exposed a serious systemic lapse within the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Records reveal that investigations into 88 tiger deaths in 2020 and 2021 are either “pending” or “under scrutiny”, with the authority now signalling its intent to close these cases.A January letter from the NTCA stated that if the states concerned failed to provide post-mortem, forensic and histopathology reports, and colour photographs in tiger mortality cases, investigations would be formally closed.The data highlights alarming gaps in Chhattisgarh, with unresolved cases in Bastar, Bhanupratappur and Kawardha. Several cases are marked as “seizures”, indicating that while tiger parts were recovered from suspected poachers, the legal and forensic closure required for prosecution has been neglected for years.Madhya Pradesh leads the backlog, with 32 unresolved deaths in core breeding grounds such as Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Panna. Maharashtra has 20 pending cases, many of which have occurred outside tiger reserves, pointing to high-risk zones for poaching.Even Kaziranga in Assam, one of the world’s most strictly guarded tiger reserves, has eight unexplained deaths since 2020. Similarly, tiger reserves in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh such as Nagarhole, Dudhwa, Amangarh and Pilibhit show cases marked as “seizures” with no legal resolution.Uttarakhand, home to one of the densest tiger populations globally, has a disturbing backlog. Cases in the Corbett Tiger Reserve, including Dhela and Kalagarh ranges, Ramnagar and Shyampur (Haridwar), remain unresolved, despite recent concerns over rising human-animal conflicts.Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey criticised the delays, saying these allow foresters to avoid scrutiny for patrol lapses or habitat mismanagement, as official records remain perpetually “under scrutiny”.“Without a finalised cause of death, criminal proceedings against poachers cannot be sustained. Delays in these reports are not merely administrative lapses; these actively facilitate wildlife crime. Forensic samples from 2020 are now scientifically unviable,” he said.Reacting to the NTCA’s warning of case closures, Dubey termed it “administrative data laundering”. “By force-closing these files, the NTCA is effectively erasing potential poaching incidents and management failures from the national record. We demand a high-level inquiry into why state chief wildlife wardens failed to submit mandatory reports for over five years. Strict action should be taken against field directors and forest officers who presided over these reserves during periods of undocumented tiger mortality,” he said.