Madurai: The public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by Keralite Rebecca Joseph, seeking the translocation of the rogue tusker ‘Arikomban’ to Kerala, will be heard by the forest bench of Madras High Court. A decision in this regard was taken by the court's division bench comprising Justices R Subramanian and Victoria Gowri on Tuesday.
According to the petitioner, Arikomban should be translocated to the Tamil Nadu forests bordering the Mathikettan Shola National Park in Kerala’s Idukki district, instead of shifting the tusker to an unknown location. However, the court refused the petitioner’s demand for an immediate hearing and opined that the case appears to be filed for publicity.
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Following which, the bench decided to post the case before the forest bench, comprising Justices Satish Kumar and Bharatha Chakravarthy, pointing out that the latter has been dealing with a set of cases relating to the western ghats.
The court also orally remarked that it could not interfere with the Kerala High Court’s orders in connection with the case and added that certain decisions were best left to the discretion of authorities.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department on Tuesday announced that Arikomban, which was darted and captured the other day, was freed in the forest of upper Kodayar in Kanyakumari district bordering Kerala.
The elephant's health is fine and his new habitat would ensure him plenty of water and good fodder, a senior forest department official said.
Published: 06 Jun 2023, 03:46 pm IST
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