BANGALORE: The High Court on Wednesday disposed an appeal that challenged the cancellation of ownership certificate of an elephant which the appealant had donated to a temple in the city.
The division bench headed by Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice S N Satyanarayana, while hearing an appeal challenging the forest department’s directions to pay for maintainence of the animal, disposed off the petition upholding an earlier single judge order.
It was rescued from a temple following a complaint of torture by animal rights organisations.
Abraham had donated the tusker Girija Shankar alias Manikantan to Aiyappa temple at Jalahalli in 1999.
It was rescued by the state forest department following complaints to the police by Siddarth PU Youth Association and Child Rights Action Forum and Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA).
The appellant, Jacob Abraham, had challenged the single judge order directing the state government to take care of the animal.
When the temple authorities tried to claim the elephant through directions of the High Court, the Court directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife Warden to consider the paramount interest of the animal while arriving at a decision on the matter.