I have to disagree about anglers not being best placed to help protect rivers. While I am fully aware of the need for Forestry Dept officials to be the ones charged with the task of protecting rivers, in practise, they rarely do. In fact rivers are usually ignored by all unless there is some other motive for considering them.
Conservation work in the UK is mostly masterminded by anglers. The authorities tasked with protecting rivers, are, even here, often the worst polluters. If they are left to their own devices, no one will give rivers a voice.

While I appreciate angling is not accepted by many people as a legitimate hobby, there is no doubt in my mind that the fish do not suffer any amount of distress when handled by experienced anglers. They certainly do not die as a result of the act of being caught. This is shown time and again by repeated captures of easily recognisable fish.
To equate sport angling with hunting is stretching the point to make a case. Like going to court to prove that a slap to your head should lead to a murder charge.

I do hope this case will be resolved quickly. A large amount of money is generated by angling tourism in Karnataka, it would be a shame to lose it and see the rivers suffer more than they do at present.

Interesting to see that the article from the Deccan Herald is illustrated with a picture of a mahseer - a Himalayan mahseer! Tor putitora does not and should not be in the River Kaveri, despite the Karnataka State Fishery Dept's support for stocking fish bred in captivity by Tata at Lonavla. Where Tor putitora is one of brood stock. Experiments have been run on crossing T putitora with Tor khudree (the native Kaveri mahseer), I wonder how many 'concerned activists' stand up to stop that sort of thing going on?
On balance, I would prefer to see a few anglers keeping an eye on the river than let any number of hair-brained schemes loose that have historically destroyed that mighty river's capacity to feed and water most of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Perhaps taking steps to stop illegal sand mining on the river's bed would be a far more worthy task?