New Delhi, Nov. 5 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed concern over the allegedly hurried inter-state transfer of captive elephants, including one that was transported nearly 3,000 km to Chennai within just nine days.
Hearing a petition filed by the NGO People for Cattle in India challenging the procedure followed for the transfer of captive elephants, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that all such transfers must strictly comply with statutory requirements and earlier directions.
Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for the petitioner, said the environmental law framework governing inter-state movement of elephants envisages several stages of verification, clearances and consultations, a process that ordinarily requires a minimum of around 50 days.
The senior lawyer pointed out that the transfer request in the present case was made on September 4, while the elephant reached Chennai by September 13, covering a distance of nearly 3,000 km in nine days.
Arora said it was not possible to complete all the verifications and procedural requirements prescribed under the rules within such a short period.
Seeking interim protection, the counsel contended that the haste with which the clearances were granted raised serious questions about compliance with the statutory scheme.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.