The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, founded by Adi Sankara, has approached the Madras High Court for taking back three of its female elephants Sandhya, 50, Indu, 30, and Jayanti, 14, from the Tamil Nadu Forest Department’s elephant rescue and rehabilitation centre at M.R. Palayam in Tiruchi.
Justice V. Lakshminarayanan on Monday directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-cum-Chief Wildlife Warden (PCCF-cum-CWC) to depute a team of officials for inspecting a 2.94-acre facility earmarked by the Mutt at Konerikuppam in Kancheepuram district for housing the pachyderms.
HC comes to the rescue of three female elephants
The judge made it clear that the same team, which had inspected the facility on December 9, may be deputed for the inspection again, so that it would be in a better position to find out if the deficiencies found during the first inspection had been rectified by the Mutt or not.
He directed Special Government Pleader (Forests) T. Seenivasan to explain by January 6 as to whether the M.R. Palayam elephant rescue and rehabilitation centre had concrete sheds to house the elephants as required under Rule 5(2) of the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2011.
