HC orders issue of notice to Govt officials

The Madras High court today ordered issue of notice to government officials, including Chief Wildlife Warden, Secretary of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Trust on a PIL seeking to ban rearing and using elephants in temples and houses.
The petitioner M Saravaman, an environmental activist, also prayed that all the elephants in the state should be examined by a team of veterinary surgeons and a report on the condition of the elephants should be sought.
He also wanted the government to take appropriate steps to rehabilitate the elephants at the elephant camp at Mudumalai.
He said that elephants used to walk about 18 hours in forests in a day and lived in groups. Those who were rearing the animal torture them under the pretext of training.

They were kept in sheds and chained to pillars following which they developed foot problem.
He said though elephants were protected under Wild Life Act, during festival seasons in temples they were ill treated.
A Division bench comprising Justice M Jaichandran and Justice R Mahadevan ordered notice to the officials and posted the matter for hearing to another day.