Contempt plea in HC against AAP govt for attempting to seize elephant against court orders

The Delhi High Court has sought response of the AAP government on a plea seeking contempt action against some of its officials for trying to take possession of an elephant in violation of judicial orders not to do so.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Delhi government and sought its stand on the plea by the elephant's owner. The bench is likely to hear the matter next on August 5.

According to the elephant's owner Yusuf Ali, the high court by orders dated April 5 and May 14 had directed the government not to take possession of any of the pachyderms owned by him.

However, on July 6, officials from the wildlife and forest department tries to take away the elephant, Laxmi, by force in violation of court orders.

The high court's orders had come on Ali's appeal challenging a single judge's decision declining to entertain his plea against the government's February 19 direction to its officials to take possession of his pachyderms.

Ali, in his contempt plea, has alleged that on July 6, the wildlife and forest officials came to the Yamuna Bank area, where the petitioner and his family were spending some time with his elephant and tried to take away the pachyderm.

Ali has alleged that when he and his family tried to stop them, the officials manhandled his wife, injuring her, and also threw stones at the elephant which ran into the forest near Akshardham.

He has further alleged that even the police took the side of the wildlife and forest officials by lodging an FIR against him and his wife for obstructing government servants from doing their job.

He has sought action against the forest and wildlife officials for allegedly violating court orders by attempting to seize the elephant.