The Kerala High Court on Friday refused to intervene in the matter related to allowing a partially blind celebrity elephant to take part in the state's largest cultural festival Thrissur Pooram.
After being approached by Thechikottukavu Devaswom Board to lift the ban on 54-year-old jumbo Thechikottukavu Ramachandran, who has claimed 13 lives so far, the court stated that the concerned authorities should take the decision.
In its appeal to the high court, the Devaswom Board had sought permission to allow the elephant to conduct the opening ceremony of the festival by opening the South gate of the temple. They have claimed that the elephant has a valid health certificate and he is not completely blind.
Earlier, on April 25, a report stating that the health of the elephant was not satisfactory, was submitted by the chief wildlife warden to Thrissur district collector TV Anupama.
Speaking on the issue, agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar said a committee led by the district collector will take the final call. A legal opinion has also been sought in this matter.
The 10.5 feet tall elephant, who has been the highlight of Pooram for several years, was banned from making public appearances after it ran amok and killed two persons in February.
The decision triggered widespread protests by the Kerala Elephant Owner's Federation, who threatened to not let other elephants participate in the parade unless the government lifts the ban on Ramachandran.
On Thursday, a meeting was held between the federation representatives and ministers but they failed to reach a conclusion.
Meanwhile, Ramachandran’s angry fans accused the government of destroying the festival and have been leading heated campaigns like ‘Save Ramachandran’ on Facebook. They have reportedly also been flooding Thrissur’s district collector TV Anupama’s social media accounts with angry messages.
Kerala forest minister K Raju had said that even though Ramachandran’s age is mentioned as 54 on paper, the tusker is in fact, much older. “The elephant which has completely lost his sight from one eye and has turned amok multiple times. Ramachandran is taken to festivals with the help of four men on four sides," Raju said.
The minister also said that apart from claiming lives of people, Ramachandran has also killed two domesticated tuskers. “The beast could cause huge trouble at the pooram because a huge crowd will be present in the temple premises. This could turn into a big tragedy," Raju said.
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