The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court issued a notice to the government in response to a public interest petition requesting annual rehabilitation camps for temple, mutt, and other captive elephants.
The petition was filed by Ramkumar Adithyan from Thiruchendur. In his petition, he highlighted that “Every year from December to January, the elephants in the temples and monasteries under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of Tamil Nadu are taken to rehabilitation camps. The last rejuvenation camp for elephants was held in February 2021.”
He further mentioned that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no such camps have been held since then. The petition emphasized that “Even after the pandemic, no rejuvenation camps have been held for the elephants. In these camps, the elephants are provided with adequate rest, fruits, vegetables, sugarcane, minor millets, and jaggery, as well as regular check-ups by veterinarians. This makes the elephants feel refreshed after the camps. Therefore, the Tamil Nadu government should order the annual rejuvenation camps for temple elephants.”
The case was heard by Justices Subramanian and Victoria Gowri.
