Kerala High Court directs State to submit suggestions in sealed cover on alternative sites to translocate rogue elephant Arikomban

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the State Government to submit in a sealed cover, suggestions for an alternative site for the translocation of the rogue elephant, Arikomban [Re Bruno Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation v Union of India & Ors.]..The sealed cover containing suggestions has to be submitted before the Committee of Experts (CoE) appointed by the Court, a division bench of Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Gopinath P directed.The bench also ordered the CoE to examine the feasibility of the suggested sites and ensure that the details of the alternative site are kept confidential till further orders from the court."The members of the Committee shall examine the feasibility and shall ensure that the details of the alternate site are kept confidential awaiting further orders from this Court. If the Committee approves the alternate site suggested, then the capture and shifting of the animal in terms of the earlier orders issued by us, to the said alternate site, need not await further orders from this Court," the order stated..The pachyderm Arikkomban has been in the news for causing problems by straying into human settlements, sometimes along with his herd, in the hill station of Munnar..The bench had taken up the issue on a suo motu case public interest litigation (PIL) initiated in July, 2021 regarding animal cruelty. The PIL had been kept open so that the Court could monitor or intervene when situations concerning animal welfare arose in the State..Apart from issuing direction to the State government to submit suggestions of alternative sites, the bench on Wednesday also modified its order dated April 5 regarding the constitution of the Task Force and the officers involved in the translocation process of Arikkomban.The Dourt appointed task forces for the districts of Idukki, Palakkad, and Wayanad comprising the following members:The Revenue Divisional Officer concerned;The Divisional Forest Officer/Wildlife Warden having jurisdiction over the area in question;The Station House Officer concerned;The Panchayat President of the Panchayat concerned; and The Secretary, District Legal Services Authority of the District concerned who should also act as the Convenor of the Tak Force.The list of officers involved with the translocation of Arikomban was modified to include:Chief Conservator of Forests (High Range Circle), Kottayam- Arun RS;Chief Forest Veterinary Officer- Arun Sakharia; andDivisional Forest Officer. Munnar- Ramesh Bishnoi IFS..The Court directed that when the task forces are constituted, a report detailing the composition of each of the task force and the complete list of task forces constituted in the said three districts have to be made available by the next date of posting.It further directed the task forces to start formulating measures to prevent similar human-animal conflicts within their respective territorial limits..The matter will be considered again on May 3. .[Read Order]