Kerala HC questions parading jumbos at Sabari

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday asked the Travancore Devaswom Board whether they could stop the practice of parading elephants at Sabarimala as part of the festival.

The court asked TDB to get the opinion of Sabarimala Tantri and inform the court of whether parading of elephants in connection with the Vilakkinuzhun-ellippu at Sabarimala was an essential part of the rituals and practices.

The court asked the animal welfare department to inform its suggestions in this regard.

"It is high time that there should be a rethinking on the use of elephants to be paraded particularly in temples and other religious institutions," it observed.

The court also wondered "whether the Travancore Devaswom Board acted appropriately in bringing a trained elephant to the forest area for such activities".

The Devaswom bench comprising Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice Anu Sivaraman issued the directive on a report filed by Sabarimala Special Commissioner regarding the death of a 68-year-old woman at Sabarimala owing to the attack of an irritated elephant.

The court said that time had come for those who control demonstration of religious practices and rituals of Sabarimala temple to tell the court as to whether it was necessary in terms of the prescription as to the ritual and practices that there should be domestic elephants brought to be paraded as part of the Vilakkinezhunallippu at Sabarimala.