THRISSUR: If one believes the law will take its course in Thrissur, you are wrong, especially if it is the Thrissur Pooram. When it involves the pooram, the law will never take its course here and Thrissurites once again proved it, no matter whether it is Right or Left at the helm.
The Advocate General (AG)’s legal opinion, which gave the nod to Thrissur Collector to let celebrity elephant Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran participate in the pooram with riders, is a violation of all the existing rules and Supreme Court guidelines on captive elephants.
According to Animal Welfare Board member M N Jayachandran, the Kerala Captive Elephant (Management & Maintenance) Rules are pretty clear that no sick or blind elephant should be paraded in festivals. The Rule also states that elephant parade should be avoided between 11am-3 pm. If the elephants are paraded between 11 am-3 pm, they should be allowed to stand on wet gunny bags. Further, the chief wildlife warden recently issued an order, banning parading of elephants from 10 am-4 pm, in view of the intense summer heat in the state. All these clauses will be violated if the elephant is allowed to participate in the opening procession of Thrissur Pooram. Also, the direction does not comply with the Wildlife Protection Act and various SC guidelines on captive elephants, he said.
So this is not a matter of rules and laws. And this is not the first time the state government has given in to veiled threats and persuasion from the Devaswom and other bodies.
When the Kerala Captive Elephant (Management & Maintenance), Rules were amended in 2012, and as the Puttingal firework tragedy tightened the noose around the firework displays in the state in 2016, Thrissurites secured last-minute permission through lobbying and threats. When the High Court banned the high-decibel fireworks between dusk and dawn in 2016, the Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms, the main participants of Thrissur Pooram, have openly threatened to limit the celebrations to rituals if they are forced to implement the court’s order.
Once again when Thechikottukavu Ramachandran is getting ready to participate in the ceremonious opening of Vadakkunatha temple’s southern entrance, it is the gentle persuasion, lobbying and veiled threats of the Devaswoms and various bodies which have finally yielded results. Heritage Animal Task Force general secretary V K Venkitachalam said the government decision and the AG’s advice will not stand legal scrutiny.