Praha/Darjeeling - Petr Švácha, one of the Czech entomologists who were arrested in India for illegal collecting rare specimens of insect, was acquitted Wednesday and Emil Kučera was found guilty of violating the Wildlife Protection Laws and sentenced to three years in prison.

Both men were sentenced to three years behind bars last Thursday but based on today´s defense statement the judge changed the sentence, freeing Švácha who was called a victim of circumstance and sending Kučera to jail.

Kučera filed an appeal against the verdict, public service Czech TV reported.

Find out more: Indian court rules 3 yrs in jail for Czech scientists

Doubts over Kučera

Since the very beginning the Indian authorities were distrustful of lay entomologist Emil Kučera who visited the National Park before. Hynek Kmoníček, Czech ambassador to India, regards the authorities´ suspicions as the reason why Kučera was not acquitted.

The Times of India online reported Tuesday that "Kucera, a forester, has a website offering to sell insects."

False testimony as key evidence

At the moment Kučera is at large, while Petr Švácha will be able to leave the country as soon as the authorities return his passport, which may take another four weeks, according to Kmoníček.

The Czech entomologists were accused of smuggling more than 200 rare species of bugs and larvae out of the country without a permission and also of an unauthorized insect collection for commercial purposes in the West Bengal´s Singalila National Park.

Both men dismissed the accusations, claiming that the bugs and larvae were meant strictly for research purposes.

The key evidence of the prosecution was an alleged testimony signed by Kučera and Švácha. Their defence lawyer claims though that the document is a forgery, as the men had been asked to sign the blank sheets of paper under a false pretext.

Academics from all around the globe had launched an internet petition signing campaign aimed to pressure the Indian authorities to release the Czechs.

Read more: Indian court rules but Czech scientists will know later