The Gauhati High Court has sought a report from the High-Powered Committee constituted by the Supreme Court on the rehabilitation of nine elephants from Assam currently in captivity at temples in Tamil Nadu.
Justice Devashis Baruah passed the order while hearing a petition filed by the Assam government in September 2022, seeking the release of elephant Joymala after videos surfaced showing her allegedly being brutally beaten.
Joymala had been leased by Assam to the Srivilliputhur Nachiyar Thirukovil temple in Tamil Nadu for three years in 2011. However, even after the lease period expired, she remained in the temple’s custody.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, which was impleaded as a respondent in the case, had sought Joymala’s rehabilitation at a sanctuary where she could live free from chains and alongside other elephants.
PETA India also urged the High Court to refer the matter to the Supreme Court-appointed High-Powered Committee, headed by retired Justice Deepak Verma, which deals with issues relating to the ownership, transfer and rehabilitation of captive elephants.
Following this, similar cases involving eight other elephants from Assam, whose temporary transfer periods to Tamil Nadu had expired, were also referred to the committee.
The Gauhati High Court has further directed the Tamil Nadu government to conduct monthly inspections of the facilities where the nine elephants are being kept. The court said that, pending the committee’s final decision, elephants found to be deprived of adequate nutrition, medical care or other essential facilities should be seized and rehabilitated.
The court observed that the case had initially come to light after reports in the media and PETA India’s intervention highlighted the alleged torture of Joymala. It therefore directed the High-Powered Committee to give PETA India an opportunity to present its views before the matter is decided.
