The Supreme Court has raised concerns regarding the welfare of captive elephants in India. Recent data from the Centre indicates that the captive elephant population has increased by 50 since the last census in 2019. However, the number of privately owned elephants, as well as those in circuses and temples, has remained unchanged.
The note records the proceedings of the sixth meeting of the CEHWC, held in February this year. However, a closer scrutiny of the data in the note does not support this total. The top court directed the Centre to issue mandatory guidelines for establishing elephant clinics offering specialised services for the welfare of captive elephants. The CEHWC has also been directed to prescribe minimum standards for the housing, healthcare and upkeep of elephants in captivity. The court has clarified that its present concern is not ownership of captive elephants, but their upkeep, well-being and healthcare — issues central to the petition before it.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on August 18 directed the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) and the Captive Elephant Healthcare and Welfare Committee (CEHWC), constituted under Project Elephant, to submit a comprehensive status report on DNA profiling of all captive elephants and the uploading of data on the Gajah Suchana app. There were 2,675 captive elephants in 2019, a figure that has now risen to 2,725, according to a note submitted by the MoEFCC to the court. The matter will next be heard on October 29.
