4 months ago
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The Madras High Court connected Friday (January 23, 2026) dismissed a writ entreaty filed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-cum-Chief Wildlife Warden (PCCF-cum-CWC) against a azygous judge’s bid directing the wood section to instrumentality 3 pistillate elephants to the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.
First Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan refused to entertain the entreaty astatine the admittance signifier itself and wondered wherefore the section was truthful determined to not springiness backmost the elephants to the Mutt adjacent aft six years.
When an Additional Advocate General said, the wellness information of the elephants was not conducive and relied upon the study of a aesculapian introspection conducted aft the azygous judge’s order, the Division Bench asked however could the section effort to overreach tribunal orders.
The Bench said, the azygous justice had passed a reasoned bid aft considering each facts. It besides agreed with advocator V.R. Shanmuganathan, representing Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, that it besides appeared to beryllium a consensual bid since the justice had permitted authorities veterinarians to analyse the elephants.
Disposing of a writ petition moved by the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Justice V. Lakshminarayanan had connected January 7, 2026 said that the petitioner was a Hindu spiritual mutt, which traces its spiritual lineage to Saint Adi Shankara and had been successful beingness for centuries.
In fulfilment of its spiritual mission, arsenic ordered to beryllium carried retired by its preceptor, the petitioner mutt had been administering temples, Veda Patasalas (schools imparting spiritual education), Sanskrit teaching centres and different Hindu spiritual institutions.
In furtherance of its spiritual activities, the mutt had acquired 3 elephants named Sandhya (50), Indu (30) and Jayanti (14) and obtained ownership certificates excessively from the PCCF-cum-CWC successful accordance with the rules framed nether the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.
After the acquisition, the mutt had begun utilizing the elephants for rituals, festivals, ‘Vishwaroopa’ darshan and different connected activities. He besides recorded the mutt’s assertion that elephants clasp a spiritual and ritual value successful Hinduism and they symbolise the divine attributes of Lord Vinayaka.
In 2015, the elephants’ mahout died and hence the mutt obtained wood department’s support to transport the animals to a backstage widlife rescue and rehabilitation centre. Thereafter, connected tribunal orders, they were transferred to the wood department’s elephant attraction installation astatine M.R. Palayam successful Tiruchi.
Since 2022, the mutt had been making repeated representations to the wood section to instrumentality the elephants since it had created a 2.94-acre installation for them astatine Konerikuppam colony successful Kancheepuram territory and had besides decided to name caller mahouts to instrumentality attraction of them.
When the representations went unheard, the mutt chose to record the writ petition successful 2025. Oppsoing the plea, the wood section told the tribunal that a authorities veterinarian had opined that the translocation of the 3 elephants from the M.R. Palayam campy to a temple situation whitethorn not beryllium advisable.
The authorities veterinarian had said each the 3 elephants were being treated astatine the campy for antithetic ailments and therefore, their relocation for ritual purposes specified arsenic Gaja puja whitethorn pb to aesculapian relapse and behavioural accent owed to crow exposure, hard flooring, tethering and smoke.
On the different hand, Mr. Shanmuganathan produced a missive from A. Kandasamy, Assistant Veterinary Surgeon astatine the Ayyampettai veterinary dispensary successful Kancheepuram territory agreeing to supply aesculapian attraction to the 3 elephants if they were translocated to the mutt’s elephant attraction installation astatine Konerikuppam.
The counsel besides gave an undertaking that the elephants would not beryllium taken to the temple for rituals until they were declared acceptable to question extracurricular the Konerikuppam facility. The Gaja puja excessively would beryllium performed astatine Konerikuppam itself.
Recording his submissions, the justice had directed the wood section to manus implicit the elephants to the mutt on information that the animals should not beryllium moved retired of Konerikuppam installation until they go steadfast capable to measurement out. He had besides granted liberty to the mutt to execute Gaja puja astatine Konerikuppam.
