CHENNAI: The first bench of Madras High Court directed the District Forest Officer (DFO) of Vellore to study, probe and file a status report within two weeks about the condition of the elephant rehabilitation camp centre in MR Palayam in Perambalur. The official was earlier the DFO of Perambalur.

Heading the bench with Justice D Krishnakumar, Acting Chief Justice T Raja issued the direction on hearing a plea by S Muralidharan of the Indian Centre for Animals’ Rights and Education (ICARE), who sought direction to the Forest Department to maintain the centre properly with adequate veterinarians and mahouts. The centre that opened in 2019 was not in good condition now, he claimed.

“The government is putting elephants seized from people who possessed them without proper licence in the MR Palayam centre. There are about seven elephants in the centre but there is no mahout from the tribal section and a full-time veterinarian is also absent in the camp,” the petitioner said.

The former DFO of Perambalur, Sujatha, discharged flawless service to the center but it was not being managed well after her transfer to Vellore, he alleged.

Recording the submissions, the bench observed that like people, animals also have rights, which should not be breached at any cost. “Vellore DFO is directed to visit and conduct an investigation in MR Palayam elephant rehabilitation camp and file a report within two weeks,” the bench ordered.

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