Thrissur Pooram: Kerala High Court orders 6-meter minimum distance between elephants and artists for safety

The Kerala High Court on Monday ordered that a distance of at least 6-should be maintained between elephants and artists performing at the upcoming Thrissur Pooram festival to ensure the safety of all [In Re Bruno Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation v Union of India & Ors.]..In a special sitting convened at the request of Additional Advocate General Asok M Cherian, a division bench of Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Gopinath P issued the following directions for the use of elephants during the festival:A minimum distance of 6 meters shall be maintained between elephants when being paraded and percussion artists/other artists who may be performing at the time. Taking note of the extreme heat situation in Kerala, 'Thevetti' (fire torch) shall be placed at a minimum of 6 meters away from the elephants. Only a bare minimum number of persons who may be authorised by the organisers will be permitted to enter into the open area of 6 meters as above and that too strictly on need to basis and no other person shall be permitted to enter into this area. We clarify that the above directions shall not apply to persons who may have to stand immediately behind the elephants during the 'Kudamattam' ritual. We direct the Principal Chief Conservator (Wild Life) and Chief Wild Life Warden, Kerala to deploy necessary Rapid Response Teams (RRT) to deal with any untoward incidents. Elephant Squads/Volunteers (if any) engaged by the organizers shall only assist the RRT and will act only upon instructions of the RRT officials. Under no circumstances will devices such as a ‘capture belt’ be used by such Elephant Squads. No other equipment which will cause hurt to the captive elephant or maim it in any manner be used.The organizers/mahouts will ensure that the Elephants are under no fatigue and are not exposed to the hot sun for long. They shall ensure that the Elephants are properly fed and watered.The Thrissur Pooram is an annual temple festival in Thrissur district that takes place on the Pooram day of the Malayalam month of Medam. This year, it is scheduled to start on April 19.The festival is known for grand displays of decorated elephants, parasols, and percussion music..The order by the Court was passed in a case dealing with issues of animal welfare in the state. In the most recent hearings, the Bench had stressed on the need to ensure that elephants are used for festivals in a manner that is safe for both the pachyderms and festival goers and performers. On the basis of the Court's previous orders, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild Life) & Chief Wild Life Warden had issued a circular to put in place certain additional restrictions taking note of the present weather conditions in the State and keeping in mind repeated instances of captive elephants running amok.On Monday, the Additional Advocate General requested the bench to allow a fresh circular and bench allowed the same and additionally issued the directions mentioned above..The Bench had previously also directed that fitness certificates of each elephant proposed to be paraded in the festival be made available to the Court. However, the same was not done due to certain delays. The Bench, therefore, ordered that the process of verification and issuance of fitness certificates be done on April 18 by following the mandate of the Kerala Captive Elephant Management Rules, 2012. The bench also directed that advocates TC Suresh Menon and Sandesh Raja be allowed to remain present during the verification process to supervise the same. .[Read Order]