The Madras High Court Bench here on Tuesday closed a public interest litigation petition seeking a blanket ban on keeping elephants in captivity in temples and houses after recording the State government’s submission that the Supreme Court was already seized of the issue.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Sudhakar and V.M. Velumani also took note of the statement made by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department that annual rejuvenation camps were being conducted for 48 days for emple elephants at a cost of Rs. 2.75 lakh for each pachyderm.
Contesting the PIL petition filed by M. Saravanan, a Madurai-based environmental activist, Special Government Pleader M. Govindan informed the Bench that a similar case was pending in the apex court which, through an interim order, had permitted keeping elephants in temples subject to certain conditions. Another Special Government Pleader VR. Shanmuganathan said that HR and CE Commissioner M. Veera Shanmugha Moni had filed a counter affidavit listing various measures taken by the State government since 2003 for proper upkeep of temple elephants.
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In his affidavit, the Commissioner said: “Elephants are maintained in temples from time immemorial… They are part and parcel of Hindu culture and tradition…In so many temples, Gaja Puja is performed by the elephants which take part in daily rituals and other events.”
Pointing out that the State had been conducting rejuvenation camps for the elephants, he saidthat 55 elephants attended the first camp in 2003 followed by 65 and 63 elephants in the successive years. A total of 37 elephants attended the camp in 2011 followed by 34, 34 and 28 in the successive years.
Elephants from Puducherry and Nagoor Dargah too participated in the camps, he added.
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Stating that the elephants were provided with special diet, according to their age, height and weight during the camps, he said that the pachyderms which could not attend the camps due to health reasons were also provided with a similar diet and medical facilities at the temples.
The Commissioner further said that at present there were 33 elephants in 32 temples besides eight other pachyderms in six mutts situated across the State. All of them were under the administrative control of the HR and CE Department and being taken care of very well, he asserted.