The Hindu : Front Page : Supreme Court shifts monkey business to Delhi High Court

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Thursday, Feb 15, 2007
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Supreme Court shifts monkey business to Delhi High Court

J. Venkatesan

Monkey raj in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday put an end to longstanding "monkey business" by shifting the responsibility to the Delhi High Court to decide the fate of 300 monkeys kept by the Delhi Government after Madhya Pradesh turned down a plea for their translocation in forests of the State.

A three-Judge Bench comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice D. K. Jain and Justice V. S. Sirpurkar asked the Delhi High Court to pass appropriate orders in the matter.

In accordance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court in April 2004, the Madhya Pradesh Government had accepted 250 monkeys from the Delhi Government, for which the Centre paid Rs.25 lakhs to the MP Government. Subsequently, in October 2006, the Supreme Court gave a further direction that 300 more monkeys kept in Delhi be translocated to the Madhya Pradesh forests.

Annoyed at this order, the Madhya Pradesh Government filed an affidavit expressing its inability to accept the 300 monkeys as its forests were already overcrowded with the 250 monkeys received in 2004. It said the monkeys captured and translocated in the forests of Madhya Pradesh had led to an increase in the pressure on the gene pool of the natural forest habitat of the primates. These monkeys had carried with them typical variety and strains of diseases, pathogens and deleterious substances posing a danger to the health of the natural habitat of the area of their translocation, it said, seeking modification of the Supreme Court's October 2006 order.

When the matter was taken up by the Court on Wednesday, counsel for the Madhya Pradesh Government explained the State's stand for not accepting the 300 monkeys. Counsel for the Delhi Government drew the Court's attention to an order passed on Tuesday by the Delhi High Court according to which the 300 monkeys would be rehabilitated in Bhati mines in South Delhi, declared as a sanctuary.

When counsel wanted to know the Centre's stand, the Bench in a lighter vein said, "The South Block [the seat of the Union Government in New Delhi] is already full of monkeys. They will only say that these 300 monkeys should be sent to the South Block", evoking laughter all around. When the Bench asked counsel for the Madhya Pradesh Government, "What have you done with Rs. 25 lakhs?", he said the Government had rehabilitated the 250 monkeys received in 2004. The Bench replied, "What have you done? You only let loose the monkeys in the sanctuary. Have you made any arrangements like shelters for the monkeys?"

However, taking into consideration the order passed by the Delhi High Court, the Bench closed the petition.

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