Cracking down on abuse suffered by captive elephants, the Supreme Court on Wednesday threatened festival co-ordinators and organisers with contempt of court action if they are found treating animals brought to perform in festivals with cruelty.
A bench led by Justice Dipak Misra ordered organisations, private owners, festival co-ordination committees to ensure that animals engaged in performance of festival activity are not subjected to cruelty.
The court warned that if any such instance of cruelty was brought to its notice and established, these persons would face contempt proceedings before the Supreme Court.
Pooram case
The order follows a startling report submitted by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) detailing in the Supreme the physical and mental torture suffered by elephants in the recently-concluded Thrissur Pooram in Kerala.
The report, a result of extensive inspection carried out on the Pooram premises in Thrissur district of the State, revealed that both the State government and festival organisers violated almost every rule in the book.
The stark report opened a Pandora's box on the legality of one of Kerala’s largest tourist attractions and oldest temple festivals by bringing it under the scrutiny of the apex court.
A visibly disturbed Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra had earlier ordered the Kerala government to respond on how laws were flouted to abuse these captive elephants during the festival held in the last week of April 2015.
It had highlighted how elephants paraded for Pooram “suffered from very poor body condition score, painful abscesses, infected wounds and bruises, partial vision loss mutilated tail and foot diseases.” They also showed signs of severe mental suffering and psychological illness.
‘Killer elephant’ memories
The report evoked horrifying images of frightened elephants which ran amok in 2012 at Thrissur Pooram scattering crowds and killing several people at the festival venue.
The court is hearing a public interest petition filed by Bangalore-based Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre and other animal welfare organisations to ban the use of elephants in religious functions, processions and other events.
The petition, through advocate Aparna Bhat, said pachyderms were subject to untold cruelty despite laws over half-a-century old like Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1960, which makes it an offence to beat, torture, over-load, chaining or tethering with a heavy or short chain.
The court posted the case for further hearing on July 14.
